Bloodborne : A Twist of Fate
by TiberiumSoul
Summary: What starts as a meeting between The Good Hunter and a Keeper of the Old Lords becomes something much more, Follow Gaile and Nerco on a journey across all of the world of Bloodborne as they do battle with the gods themselves to earn their freedom from an accursed age old prophesy. Rated M For Explicit Scenes of Sexual Content as well as Blood and Gore (AU/OOC) COMPLETED! (for real)
1. Chapter 1

The decrepit halls of the Ailing Loran Chalice were home to many things that even the most experienced of Hunters were right to fear. It hadn't been more than a few weeks since Gaile Arkenmire; Apprentice of the late Eileen the Crow, Hunter of Hunters had acquired the holy chalice that opened the path for him to explore the forbidden labyrinth that lay dormant beneath the city of Yharnam.

Gaile was a young Hunter of the dream, who had faced much adversity in his time spent prowling the moonlit streets of the city, dealing a swift but merciless death to any beast that dared rear its ugly head in his presence. He was clad in the traditional black of the many Hunters that came before him but also adorning his form was Eileen's Crowfeather mantle and draped around his neck was the badge that named him the next Hunter of Hunters, it was a burden he chose to carry in Eileen's final moments outside the steps of the Grand Cathedral. Elsewhere in the Halls of the labyrinth another far older being was waiting for her latest opponent to arrive...

Sensing something dark and foreboding was ahead, Gaile took some time to gather himself when a shifting of rubble nearby alerted him to the presence of pack of beasts that had been stalking him through the halls waiting for their chance to end this Hunter's life. "Well well... It seems I have guests to entertain." Gaile spoke out to the largest beast in the group whilst readying his weapons. In his left hand, a long barreled pistol that he found while exploring the Forsaken Castle Cainhurst, its name was Evelyn. In his right hand, a staple weapon in the Hunter Arsenal. A large curved blade on a folding hinge, one edge meant to cleave and hack beasts limb from limb, the other a sawback meant to inflict grievous wounds that no beast could hope to survive for very long, this was the Hunter's Sawcleaver. The massive beast was walking bipedal on its hind legs, it's silver fur alight with arcing blue lightning Gaile knew all too well that he was facing a Darkbeast.

He could recall facing only one and that thing had only been a shadow of what he was to face here. The Darkbeast of Hypogean Gaol, Paarl had been a great challenge despite the fact that all that remained of him were his animated bones seemingly called back to life by the mere presence of the Hunter that had set foot within his resting place. It had suddenly returned to life whilst he was seeking passage to Old Yharnam. With a deafening roar that reverberated off of the walls of the labyrinth the Abhorrent Darkbeast charged at Gaile who deftly sidestepped its attack, an onslaught of viscous swipes of claws like blades that could have easily rent the young Hunter's head from his shoulders. Seeing his opportunity to kill the beast that was currently making its best effort to kill him Gaile dashed forward and quickly slashed through the beast's side dealing a wound that would over time be its end but this seemed to interest the beast and what happened next surprised Gaile, It stopped its attack and ordered its followers to stay back that it may converse with this Hunter that wanted to end his life with as little pain as possible.

"Have you got a screw loose? Or is it your animal intuition?" The Darkbeast spoke out, catching Gaile by complete surprise. "Y-You can speak? What devilry is this? How is a beast able to speak as though it were a man?!" a confused and utterly bewildered Gaile asked, "You call me a beast? A beast?! What would you know?! I didn't ask for this!" the beast roared in anger and outrage before glancing at his now festering wound and then to the unfolded Sawcleaver in the Hunter's right hand. "Poison? Oh you are a sick puppy. You drink the blood of half the town and now THIS!? You Hunters are the real killers!" It roared once more before attacking this time allowing its pack mates to join the assault. The fighting was fierce, but it was short lived as The Darkbeast stood alone among the bodies of twelve of his thirteen pack mates that now lie dead in pools of their own foetid blood and the only female in the group, his mate, was about to join them at this Hunter's hand, The Darkbeast rushed forward to stop it but in the blink of an eye Gaile's free hand had shifted into a beast-like claw and speared into the Female's chest grabbing a hold of the only thing it could find: her beating heart. With a great spray of blood and a pained howl the female was thrown aside bleeding profusely from a wound she wouldn't survive. Her still beating heart clutched in Gaile's now human hand its once furious panicked beating slowing to a weak pulse and finally coming to a halt as the female succumbed to blood loss. Seeing this, the Darkbeast let out a roar of anguish and rushed him intent on killing him before the poison could do its work. "Die... DIE!..DIE!" The creature roared. "Hunters are killers nothing less!" It continued to roar as it charged and attacked making the poison in its blood spread faster and faster "And now you Hunters have more blood on your hands!" it charged one last time and was finally cut down as the hunter unleashed everything he had against his mighty foe swinging his Sawcleaver and firing shot after shot from his Evelyn some enhanced with bone marrow ash to further strengthen their impact. The Darkbeast took one final swing at the Hunter and missed his neck by mere centimetres but still scoring his first and only hit across the Hunter's chest and before falling to its knees it let out one last pitiful lament "Rancid beasts every last one of us..." Moments later Gaile removed its head with a single well placed slash from his Sawcleaver.

Gaile took what time he had to catch his breath before reaching into the lining of his coat and taking out a syringe filled with a viscous red liquid and slamming it into his thigh its contents injected into his bloodstream as the deep gashes in his chest began to knit themselves together leaving no evidence that they were ever there. Save for the tears in his shirt. "I have to admit... That wasn't in any way easy, and I'd rather not do that again" Gaile said to no one in particular as he walked toward a set of intricately carved oak doors that at one time were barred off but now were accessible and allowing him entrance to the next chamber of the labyrinth. And what awaited him inside both captivated him and struck a fear in him that could only be put in place by an angry Eileen. Captivating that is until he had to roll to the side to avoid catching a fireball with his face, his assailant was clad in white sinewy armour the likes of which he'd never seen and he could tell from the shape of the person's figure and the way they walked that they were obviously female. Fear of the fire that this woman commanded. It wasn't normal in any way and it was right at that moment, that he remembered something Gehrman had once told him.

"The Moon is close, it will be a long hunt tonight..." He said with a pause before continuing "Should the beasts loom large and threaten to crush your spirits... Seek a holy chalice as every Hunter and Huntress before you has, A holy chalice will reveal the entrance to the Tomb of the Gods where Hunters and Huntresses partake in communion," Gehrman finished "And before I forget, Gaile, should you go exploring in the Tomb of the Gods... You should mind your surroundings and beware of the Keepers." Remembering what Gehrman had told him, reality came rushing back and he rolled forward dodging another barrage of fireballs and shockwaves before standing at the ready. "Can I assume you're one of the Keepers that Gehrman mentioned?" this seemed to interest the woman as she stopped tipping her hooded head to one side before she spoke "I Am, what of it?" the Keeper spoke in a cold and calculated manner as though she wanted to avoid showing any emotion whatsoever.

"I ask simply because I don't see a reason for you to attack me, I mean no harm to whatever It is your protecting" she took a single step forward "How do you know Gehrman?" she asked this time with a curious tone to her voice. "He's my mentor... well one of them the other one died very recently." she advanced again this time not stopping "I'm sorry for your loss but I simply cannot allow you, A Hunter past this point!" she said whilst swinging her sword sending a shockwave of fire hurtling toward him. "then I apologize for doing what I must, because I can't afford to have you stop me." Gaile said firing the last shot he had in his Evelyn striking the keeper centre of mass on her helmet knocking it from her head. This put the keeper off balance and allowed Gaile to kick her legs out from beneath her, landing square on her back before she could get up the Hunter levelled his Sawcleaver at he neck ready to deal the death blow should she try anything. "Do you yield?" at this notion she lets out an audible scoff "As if! You haven't beaten me yet boy!" she yells kicking his Sawcleaver away so that she can get up and in the same display of brutality as he showed to the fallen Darkbeast's mate she spears her hand into his chest although she doesn't grab onto anything she simply rips her hand back out throwing him across the small arena and spraying his blood everywhere. Having great difficulty breathing Gaile realizes that she's punctured one of his lungs reaching into his coat again to procure another blood vial he finds that their missing, "You wouldn't be looking for these now would you my keen little Hunter?" The Keeper asks holding up his satchel of blood vials. The Hunter nods unable to speak due to his injuries "You're strong, I'll give you that, but your journey ends here little Hunter, I'll give you one final chance to turn back. I suggest you take it." she says tossing him a single blood vial which he catches and immediately puts to use. Drawing in a deep breath and recovering from a hacking fit as fresh air fills his regenerating lungs "Alright... I'll go but don't think you've seen the last of me and before I forget.. My name... It's Gaile, Gaile Arkenmire." she nods to him and with a wave of her hand the nightmare fog that kept him trapped in her arena is dispelled, "Nerco. Now go, and I suggest you don't return because I won't be so merciful the next time we meet."

She said as the doors sealed themselves behind him. "I'll have to try and find another way to explore the labyrinth because while she can be reasoned with for the most part she's unwilling to let me pass, and I'd rather not kill her thought I couldn't make out much more of her face than the violet shade of her eyes, she has a certain mysterious beauty to her" He thought aloud walking away, unaware that The Keeper, Nerco had heard every word through the doors. "Oh, Little Hunter you're going to find that past me is the only way forward..." Nerco thinks to herself, It would be many long years before she ever saw the young Hunter again.

The years pass her by as do Hunters and Huntresses hoping to make their mark in the Ailing Loran Chalice only for her to send them back whence they came "It's been relatively quiet today... perhaps a short nap would do me some good... after all, there really is no telling when the next hunter or huntress will arrive here and try their luck against me... I've yet to meet another like the young hunter from ten years ago... I wonder how- No! Focus. You've better things to be spending your time thinking on..." She's just about to drift off to sleep when a familiar gunshot rings out and a bullet whizzes past her head "Finally, I finally found you again... It's been ten years but I think that's long enough to wait for a rematch... Don't you? Nerco." He asks her with the same bold confidence he displayed to her ten years ago.

Something stirs in her at seeing the young hunter return after so long. Even if it is for a rematch. "I suppose... But I do recall telling you not to come back was I not clear enough last time or did you just take my mercy for granted?" he lowers his gun at this "to be honest I didn't just come here for a rematch I came to pass on some news... Gehrman is gone and I am the new guardian of the dream" the single eye visible beneath her hood widens for only a fraction of a moment but his perception is sharp enough to catch it, "You lie. No one has ever bested Gehrman" Gaile frowns at this "If I'm a liar then why do I have his Burial Blade?" he asks drawing the ancient scythe off his back "Only the one who bests Gehrman could possibly have his weapon... He offered me a choice: Submit my life and lose my connection with this dream, refuse and be forcibly removed. I refused him, the battle was long and Old Gehrman was surprisingly agile for someone his age but in the end, everyone falls sooner or later. And now, I watch over the dream, guiding the new generations of Hunters and Huntresses." Nerco's gaze hardens for a moment then returns to its usual stoic state void of any emotion "So what is the wager for this little rematch?" She asks catching him by surprise which doesn't go unnoticed. "If I win, you'll submit your life and be freed from that thing keeping you prisoner in this dream." Gaile nods to this "Very well, and if I win I'm moving on and you're coming with me. First one to use a blood vial loses." With the stakes set they each backdash away from the other and the rematch begins!

Gaile reloads his Evelyn mid dash and further empowers his shot with Bone Marrow Ash, an extra medium for Hunters with weak bloodtinge that negates the need for use of stronger firearms, but for someone like Gaile however, didn't actually need such a medium because he already had an incredibly potent bloodtinge factor that when compared side by side to the long forgotten Vilebloods of Castle Cainhurst was more than three times as strong, it was to the point that he was capable of taking down the most fearsome of beasts with a single shot from his trusty pistol, but when you apply Bone Marrow Ash to something that powerful it becomes clear that you don't intend to fire another shot and want to end this before it begins. Gaile skids to a halt as his backdash ends cocking back the hammer on his pistol he fires the only round he had left in his satchel the round strikes true in a seeming repeat of history Nerco's visor is knocked away and the force sends her to the ground.

Anticipating his forward lunge, she rolls out of the way of the downward sweep of the Burial Blade using the incredible durability of her Bone Ash Armour she catches the blade in the crook of her arm and dislocates it from the staff leaving Gaile with one less weapon nodding he draws a weapon that she has fond memories of, The Sawcleaver. Holstering his Evelyn he unfolds the Trick Weapon in a shower of sparks and goes on the offensive. Deciding she needs some breathing room Nerco unleashes a nova of fire which forces The Older Hunter backwards cracking a small smirk Gaile brings out something she didn't anticipate. A vial containing a pale blue liquid downing the contents of the vial Gaile seemed to vanish into thin air if only ever so slightly. "Blue Elixir? That's hardly fair Gaile. Very well then, two can play at this game." she said as she pulled out a metallic flask and drank its contents, she felt her body grow heavy and her movements, become sluggish but she was unbeatable at this point and Gaile knew it. It became obvious when his Sawcleaver rebounded off of her shoulder as he tried to sink the thick blade into her flesh. Gaile once again became known to the world and she took advantage of that by pelting him with a rapid barrage fireballs whenever he attempted to stay out of the range of her sword feeling her body begin to lighten she quickly surprised Gaile by applying Fire Paper to her sword giving her an added boost to her attacks.

"I told you ten years ago Gaile, I won't show you any mercy this time. However, I'll allow you to turn back of your own accord, you needn't worry, no one will blame you if you do." she said with a visible smirk, earning a growl from Gaile he vanishes in a tuft of yellow smoke and dust appearing mere inches from her face Sawcleaver raised for the kill "The match is mine!" he yells as he swings the weapon downward scoring his first and only hit across her midsection and forcing her to heal with a blood vial. "and you'll be coming with me to the waking world" Gaile says offering her his hand, at first it seems she might accept the gesture but then she smacks it away and gets up on her own. "That speed... Hmph, I see you've learned some new tricks. Clever." Retrieving her Bone Ash Visor she places it back on her face and once again dons her hood. "Very well, you've won this match, we're even now. Though I must admit you interest me, and it is for that reason alone, that I will accompany you, but don't go getting any ideas. This is only temporary, if you're defeated I won't offer any assistance and I will abandon you to whatever fate awaits you."

"That's fine with me because I'm not going to be that easy to defeat" he said before handing her a small piece of parchment with a single Caryll Rune inscribed on its surface, "Can I assume you know what this is for? Since you seemed to know about The Quickening..." Nerco lets out a light snort at the notion "Of course I do! This is a Bold Hunter's Mark." she says snatching the item from Gaile's outstretched hand "It has a multitude of uses the most common one being escaping a fight you aren't equipped for without fear of losing your blood echoes." Gaile nods, a small smile visible beneath the cloth mask he wears over the lower half of his face "Yes, very good. Now, let's get going, I still have a dungeon to clear, And some new tools to acquire." He says walking at a brisk but quiet pace as not to draw unwanted attention to themselves granted, Nerco was a strong opponent but what she lacked in physical skill she made up for in an aptitude for the arcane.

 **To Be Continued.**

 **Author's Section Q &A**

 **Q : Wait just a god damn minute! Who the fuck is Nerco?!**

 **A : She's the reluctant travel companion of Gaile, The Hero of this little story she was created by my friend CombineCommando and I'm extremely thankful for letting me utilize her in this fic.**

 **Q : So Nerco is the Keeper of the Old Lords in this fic, she must be a badass to replace that boss considering she can one shot you with some of her attacks**

 **A : I Suppose so, Nerco is a necromancer but I wanted to introduce her to the hunter down in the chalice dungeons plus The Keeper is the only female chalice dungeon boss I know of so that's more or less how she got that placement.**


	2. Chapter 2

The expanses of Nerco's Quarters were currently being picked clean by the two as they prepared to move on to the next layer of the labyrinth "You have quite the supply of Bone Marrow Ash Nerco..." Gaile stated rather plainly in an almost uninterested tone. "Indeed I do. You're welcome to take what you need as I have all the provisions I need." Gaile nodded in response not looking at her as he took out an ornate brass container and filled it with what appeared to be a unique Black Bone Marrow Ash.

"Black Bone Marrow Ash?" He asked "Yes. Its something that I created. If you thought the ash from Hemwick Charnel was potent, then you haven't seen anything yet." she said with a slight smirk visible on her face. "If this stuff is that powerful... Then I'll have to see what the messengers at the dream value it at.."

They're talk was cut short when Gaile heard a muffled voice behind him turning around just in time to see a hooded gaunt figure with a sack slung over it's shoulder holding an unconscious Nerco by the face before slinging her form over his right shoulder thus freeing usage of his massive right arm. "A Snatcher... How lovely, You'll have to leave her with me..." He said walking towards the hulking brute with a weapon he found among many that Nerco seemed to have collected "She's with me."

The Snatcher looked at him from under its draped hood "Woman... Mine." This surprised Gaile as most Snatchers couldn't be reasoned with let alone be spoken to. "Well, I see that you have made your decision, Now... Let's see you enforce it." The Snatcher simply cocked its head to one side before slowly lumbering toward Gaile. "Deal with you... Then Woman mine." It said as a red and black aura began to swirl around it following a shrill cry from the Snatcher. 'Great I pissed it off! Gaile thought as he narrowly dodged The Snatcher's attack, It's massive fist embedded in the ground where he once stood.' "Eat this you damn beast!" Gaile roared as he sent the Whip-like Beast Cutter flying toward the Snatcher's neck he blow connected and just missed Nerco as the Snatcher's head was rent from its Shoulders spraying a shower of sanguine blacks and reds from the stump of its neck.

Sometime later Nerco awoke to find her head resting in the lap of a Sleeping Gaile 'He... Saved me? She thought.' looking at her current position she soon had a bright red blush on her face as she realized she was lying down using his lap as a pillow and the moment she got up he began to stir "I was wondering when you were going to come to. I must have drifted off waiting for you... Heh, sorry." her response was a piercing glare that Gaile felt through her visor "Would you rather I had let that thing take you away? To do god know what to you?" he replied, As her glare softened.

Getting up she realized her clothing was wet she looked around to see the headless snatcher lying in the middle of the chamber "Ah.. that would explain why my clothes are wet..." she said as she enveloped herself in flames as a fine red mist began to evaporate off of her form, as the flames died down she had a bit of residual warmth where usually there was only a cold air of emptiness. "That was quite refreshing." She said to no one in particular, at this Gaile looked up and began to stand up." We should get moving... there are things far worse than Snatchers down here and I don't think I'll be as lucky as I was with him." He said pointing the Beast Cutter at the headless Snatcher. "You know, for someone who can't die you seem very self-conscious of your surroundings" she said matter of factly which somewhat irritated Gaile "Let's just go... I am not self-conscious of my surroundings I'm just looking out for both of us." He said with a barely visible blush which didn't go unnoticed by Nerco.

They walked on in silence killing any beasts that they came across until Nerco decided to break the silence "Thank you..." she said, "For what?" Gaile responded as he buried the Beast Cutter in a Scourge Beast's chest cavity showering himself in blood which invigorated his sense of beasthood ever so slightly. "For... saving me..." She said with a blush which did go unnoticed by Gaile due to his fighting a pair of Hunters that had decided to attack while he was occupied fighting the beasts she had to dash backwards to avoid getting splashed with blood as the Beast Cutter ripped through one of the Hunters as it was buried in his shoulder "Grant!" the other now confirmed Huntress screamed as she watched her companion fall dead in a pool of his own blood. "You bastard I'm gonna-!" she was cut off as a blast of flame sent from Nerco's sword forced her to backstep "You're going to do what exactly?" she asked as another blast of fire was sent her way forcing her to backstep yet again landing with her back to the wall the Huntress began to feel very small "Please... Have mercy?" Nerco continued to advance on the huntress with a glare that could make even a Darkbeast feel like a defenceless pup "Sorry, I'm all out of mercy. You shouldn't be down here anyway... I know how sweetly the secrets of this place beckon..." she said getting closer still "Only an honest death will cure you now" she said as she stopped a few feet from the young Huntress and split her sword into a Cutlass and a Short Sabre, "Let your curiosity be at rest." she says as she puts her hand on the Huntress' cheek, The young Huntress didn't even have time to cry out as the two blades buried themselves in her heart. "rest now child... don't fall prey to it anymore."she said as the blades were just as quickly removed and flicked clean of blood as the Huntress' body broke down and dissipated into nothing.

"We are born of The Blood, Made men by The Blood, Undone by The Blood, Our eyes are yet to open..." Nerco said with a hint of remorse "Fear the Old Blood." Gaile said finishing the adage for her. "God-dammit Nerim!" He said under his breath as he slammed his fist into the wall "You knew her I presume?" Nerco asked catching Gaile's forlorn expression. "She was one of Eileen The Crow's Students before she died in my arms outside the Grand Cathedral... She was already at death's door when I found her... A Vileblood Hunter known as the Bloody Crow of Cainhurst was the one that did the deed... And I have no problem admitting that I greatly enjoyed tearing him apart." Gaile said in a venomous, almost demonic tone completely catching Nerco off guard. "Vilebloods... I almost pity them... Almost. Their eternal existence is bound only to cause them misery." Nerco said catching Gaile by surprise. "You've had experiences with them I assume?" Nerco simply nodded as nothing more needed be said. "They can be a Royal Pain sometimes. Especially the older and more experienced Vilebloods, Like The Bloody Crow." Gaile said knowingly before stepping on to the lift to head to the sixth and final layer of the Dungeon.

As the lift reached the bottom of the shaft Gaile reached into his pocket a produced a small blackish red pellet about the size of a peach pit Nerco noticing it grabbed his wrist before he could consume it. "Where did you get this?" she asked with a seemingly concerned tone "I found a small pouch of them in an alleyway in Central Yharnam a grand total of fifteen I'm down to eight now." he said freeing his wrist from her grip only for her to snatch the pellet from his grip much to his annoyance. "these things are very dangerous I've seen many hunters in my time down here fall prey to their own inner beast after consuming these hoping to gain an edge whilst fighting me, and I'm not about to sit here and watch you become a monster." she said glaring at him through her mask.

"I'm not foolhardy enough to take more than one at a time. I know my limitations with these pellets. Go ahead and keep that one I have seven more." he said as he stepped off the lift and lifted the ornate slab of a door further opening the path into the depths of The Labyrinth. Only to backstep through the doorway as a familiar Axe buried itself in the cobblestone floor where he stood not a moment ago. "Hello Gascoigne." Gaile said in the same venomous tone he used before. "What are ya doing with that thing Gaile..." Gascoigne asked in an inquisitive manner causing Nerco to glare at him "That thing, you refer to has a name and it's Nerco" She said indignantly brandishing her Rakuyo and igniting the blade with fire "No, Nerco, This is my battle. My score to settle." He said half heartedly as he extended the Beast Cutter into its Heavy Whip form "Please Gascoigne... don't make me do this..." Gaile said in a tone that almost made it sound like a child begging a parent not to punish them for a misdeed. "You cast your lot with the beasts the moment you spared her life. You're not a hunter... You're a beast in human guise... And I'll see you both into the fires of the black pit where you belong." Gascoigne said as he lifted his axe from its embedded place in the floor. He backed up to allow Gaile his space in the small area and once he was in the area the match began.

Without any warning Gascoigne bolted forward dead sprint rolling pas Gaile and catching him with a low blow which sent a shower of sparks flying in all directions as well as clipping Gaile in the side and while Gaile recovered almost immediately Gascoigne was faster still as the two began trading blows less than a moment later finally Gaile was at the point that he'd had enough and shot Gascoigne with a Black Ash imbued bullet dropping him to his knees and winding him. Gaile continued his attack by slamming the whip-like cleaver down on Gascoigne's shoulder smacking him into the floor. "What's that smell? ...The sweet blood, Oh it sings to me... It's enough to make a man sick." he said as he got up in a swift motion Gascoigne had extended the length of his Axe changing it from a simple hand hatchet to a full length polearm.

Gascoigne's first move after this was a forward thrust which Gaile deftly side stepped and replied by once again flooring Gascoigne with the Beast Cutter this time through his other shoulder. He attacked further catching him across his midsection with a quick lash of the Whip to which Gascoigne countered by hitting him with a vicious flurry of overhead swipes two of which we're narrowly dodged deciding now would be a good time to heal Gaile pulled out three Blood Vials from the lining of his coat injecting two of them into his thigh in rapid succession but before he could use the third Gascoigne hit him with an overhead swing all while letting out a mad cackle of laughter and sending Gaile to the floor. He barely had time to roll out of the way as the axe once again embedded itself where he lay not a few seconds prior. Quickly getting to his feet he was met with a quick spin of Gascoigne's axe and sent flying a few feet and one again he was made to roll out of the way lest his head be removed from his shoulders.

Gascoigne performed a double sweep of his axe which Gaile had backstepped to narrowly avoid as he felt the wind from the second swing blast in his face. Seeing an opening, Gaile fired another Bone Ash empowered shot once again interrupting Gascoigne's assault this time however Gaile was moving in for the finisher as he thrust his hand into Gascoigne's chest grabbing on to his heart and wrenching it from his chest in a shower of blood. Gascoigne's bloodied body fell limp to the ground as Gaile walked away unknown to him Gascoigne body began to violently twitch and convulse as a yellow aura enveloped his form and in an explosion of black mist and blackish red mist Gascoigne emerged for round two completely under the influence of his beasthood.

With a piercing howl Gascoigne lunged forward and smacked Gaile to the floor and then tossed him into the air with a violent uppercut before kicking him across the arena. "Gaile!" Nerco screamed out unfortunately drawing Gascoigne's attention to her "Oh bugger." she muttered before diving out of the way of a well placed kick from Gascoigne. "HEY!" Gaile hollerred out throwing a Molotov Cocktail at Gascoigne hitting him square in the back and setting him ablaze for only a few moments which drew his attention back to him and with another deafening how and a roar of anger charged at the thing that dare cause him so much pain. But then a familiar tune began to invade his ears remembering his wife that he had slain in a fit of Blood-lust not even a few hours before all this started. He Remembered his Daughters who he knew didn't deserve to see him like this. With a howl of agony he fell to his knees and then he spoke out much to Gaile's stunned astonishment.

"Gaile... End it. My wife is dead at my own hands and my Daughters are forever lost to me... I have nothing left to live for... Please... End it..." Unable to to bear seeing his old friend and mentor suffer so... he finally spoke after a poignant silence "Alright... It will be quick. I promise..." Gaile said as he raised the Beast Cutter high over his head before bringing it down with earth shattering force burying it in Gascoigne's head thus ending his life. All the while the tune Gascoigne's music box continued to play looking around he found the source... Nerco had grabbed it from his satchel and played the tune... "That was quick thinking on your part Nerco... but please put it away..." Gaile said in a tone full of sorrow which to Nerco was like a shot to the heart seeing someone who's company she had come to enjoy being in such pain and being able to do nothing about it was pure torture for her.

With a frown she shut the lid of the small music box but was stopped before she could place it back in the satchel... "Let me have that..." Gaile said as he took the music box from her setting it down on Gascoigne's chest he folded his arms over it and straightened out his legs before smashing several oil urns over his form and lighting them. "Gascoigne always said that when his time came he wanted to be cremated... and I always said there's no way he's going to die before I did..." He said as Gascoigne's body burned away in the intense flame. Hearing this Nerco knelt down and began to chant with her hands folded. "O Flora, of the moon, of the dream. O little ones, O fleeting will of the ancients... Let Gascoigne be safe, Let him find comfort. And let this dream, his captor... foretell a pleasant awakening... and be, one day, a fond, distant memory..." Nerco said with her hands still folded as she finished her prayer. "Ashes to ashes... Dust to dust..." Gaile said as he finished his own silent prayer for Gascoigne's soul hoping he will find rest. "I swear... I'll look after those two in your stead as often as I can spare Gascoigne... Rest in peace old friend..." Gaile said sombrely before a look of burning determination formed on his face. "Let's get moving, there's still the guardian of this layer to defeat. And after that we'll make camp in Old Yharnam."

As the two walked toward the door the the Guardian's arena Nerco felt something familiar about the aura on the other side... "The Watchdog..." she muttered under her breath which went unnoticed by Gaile as he pushed the heavy iron embroidered oak doors open to reveal a what looked like a giant wolf covered in black bone ash armour with roaring fires burning beneath the surface before long the statuesque wolf began to twitch and come to life after who knows how long spent sitting in one place waiting for its master's call. "Cursed be the ground, for our sake. Both thorns and thistles shall it bring forth, for us, for out of the ground we were taken for the dust that we are... and to the dust we shall return..." Nerco muttered again as the Watchdog of the Old Lords roared to life. It was the one to begin the match as it launched itself at them Nerco held her hand up and spoke one word "Balus..." and the Watchdog stopped cold in font of her panting happily as its tail wagged back and forth most curiously... "Play Dead..." she said in a heartless tone as she delivered a precise strike to the Watchdog's heart stopping the raging fires beneath its sinewy skin as quickly as they sprang to life.

Hearing the pained whines of Balus as he lay dying on the floor of his arena struck a blow to Nerco's heartstrings after all its never easy to kill something that you raised from the moment it was born. She shed a single crystalline tear as she lay with her head buried in his chest "I'm sorry Balus... I'm so sorry..." Gaile bent over picking up the bloody red stone examining it with a hawks eye while she wept for her ancient companion. The two had been separated for centuries when he grew too large to live with her in her quarters. "I'm sorry that you had to do that Nerco but it would never have allowed me to leave the arena alive" Gaile said as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "He." She said with a glare, "Not It... He..." She finished. "He was one of my oldest friends. I raised him from the moment he was born. You couldn't possibly understand what I'm feeling right now!" She practically screamed the last part at him. "Believe me. I do." He said in a comforting tone never removing his hand from her shoulder. "I had a sister... She was killed right in front of me by a Black Church Doctor. Because she showed first stage symptoms of infection by The Scourge. So I know full well what its like to lose someone you practically raised from infancy. both our parents died from Ashen Blood Sickness in Old Yharnam. Before it had been burned and abandoned."

She looked up to find that his hand was absent as he went to light the lantern that would take them out of The Ancient Labyrinth... "I'm sorry Gaile I... I didn't-" He stopped her cold with the last thing she expected, A kiss. He broke away from her, eyes half lidded and glazed over face blushing madly before she came back down to earth "Wha...? Why You!" She screamed as she tried to hit him with fire blast after fire blast all of which were deftly dodged... "Okay... remind me never to try and cheer you up again..." Gaile said as she finally calmed down. "THAT!- that was supposed to cheer me up?! Oh... You play a dangerous game Gaile... You have no idea..." she muttered under her breath as she averted her gaze, face still pink with a light blush.

"C'mon we have to head to the dream first I need to gather some supplies, and channel the echoes I've gathered..." Gaile said as he held his hand outstretched for Nerco to grasp, she did so reluctantly. As they were both spirited away to The Hunter's Dream. "Welcome to The Hunter's Dream... This will be your home, for now..." Gaile remembered the words Gehrman had first spoken to him when he arrived in the hunters dream... and the more painful ones that were spoken when he completed his hunt "Good Hunter... You've done well, The Night is near its end. Now, I will show you mercy... You will die, Forget the dream... And awake under the morning sun. You will be freed... from this terrible Hunter's Dream." He had started to refuse his offer when Gehrman stopped him mid sentence. "You must accept your death Gaile... Be freed from the night." Gaile had stopped in thought... weighing his options...

"No, I refuse. Tonight... I will free you Gehrman. I heard you cry out in your sleep you begged someone, anyone to unshackle you from the dream." Gaile said with determination alight in his eyes at this Gehrman let loose a low chuckle "Dear oh dear... What was it? The Hunt, The Blood, Or The Horrible Dream?" Gehrman asked as he slowly stood from the wooden wheelchair that he sat in for so long. "Ah, it doesn't matter... It always comes down to the Hunter's Helper to clean up after these sorts of messes..." Gehrman spoke out in a straightforward tone as he drew a curved blade from his side and slid it home into the folded staff on his back forming a scythe more than twice his height. "Tonight... Gehrman joins The hunt..."

The memories ended as he came back down to earth, Nerco had been poking him in the shoulder trying to get his attention "Huh? Wha?" Gaile said as he shook his head. "I said I'm ready to go when you are..." she said with her arms folded over her chest. "Alright, We're headed to Old Yharnam... Home sweet home."

To be continued in CH3


	3. Chapter 3

In The Church of the Good Chalice a dimly lit lantern suddenly began to glow brighter and brighter until it was almost blinding as the brightness reached its peak it flashed twice as two figures appeared in the main hall of The Church "Old Yharnam, Home Sweet Home." Gaile said in a neutral tone piquing Nerco's curiosity. "Home? You mean you grew up here?" She asked incredulously. "Yeah, what of it?" he said walking forward as a pack of fifteen Beast Patients rushed toward them ready to tear apart the two invaders "Well, at least we get a welcoming committee." Nerco said as she hit the shrouded one in the lead with a concentrated fire blast killing it in a matter of seconds as the stench of burnt flesh and hair filled the air around them, something they were both used to. The remaining fourteen backed away slowly as they had a mortal fear of fire. "That's awfully smart of them..." she said as she lowered her hand "Not smart at all, They're among what's left of Old Yharnam's population, and because of the burning of Old Yharnam, they're terrified of fire." Gaile said in a sad tone as he brandished the Beast Cutter in it's whip form "I'm sorry this happened to all of you... Let me lay you to rest once and for all." He said as the beasts continued to back away from him fear evident in their eyes.

"Enough!" a gravelly voice barked as a much older Beast Patient walked out into the clearing sniffing the air he was able to recognize Gaile's scent through the stench of burning hair and flesh.

"Gaile! How have you been lad?" The Beast spoke in out in plain English, if it was at all possible, Nerco's jaw would have hit the floor. "I've been better Baalthazar. Though you seem to be a bit worse for wear..." Gaile said as he wormed his way our of Baalthazar's bone crushing hug. "I'm old, Gaile... you know damn-well that I'm not going to be around forever, though can I ask why one of my pack just got roasted by that woman?" Waiting patiently for an answer, It was Nerco's turn to speak "I acted in self-defence, the pack charged us probably not knowing or recognizing my scent." she said plainly. "I see... This is why you idiots don't rush people like that!" he roared at his terrified pack mates. Hearing the distant sound of repeated gunfire and a distant scream Gaile turned his attention to the clock tower in the distance "Djura... He's still here?" Gaile asked Baalthazar "Yes, for 5 years now he's been watching over this place killing any Hunters that dare set foot here..." Gaile placed his hand on his chin deep in thought, "I see... This is going to be a pain... We're trying to get to Cathedral Ward but for now we need to make camp, can we stay for the night?" Gaile asked the old but sophisticated beast "Of course, you'll be my guests..."

The three sat in silence in front of a small camp fire, Baalthazar had overcome his fear of fire long ago. It was several minutes more before Baalthazar decided to break the silence. "Hrmmm, The Moon is close tonight Gaile, I know you're still taking the pellets. After all, I can smell them on you." Gaile suddenly looked downtrodden "I'm afraid I've become reliant on them for certain situations... Though, I only use them when I have no other options left." He said sombrely. "I suppose that's the best I'm going to get, but what about you miss? What is a Keeper like yourself doing so far from Loran?" He asked, his curiosity unable to be contained further. "I must admit, I was defeated by Gaile and as per the stakes of our wager I'm accompanying him, though it's only because he interests me somewhat." She said plainly as a blush slowly crept onto her face, still remembering the kiss he so crassly used to silence her down in Loran. "I'm old you two... Not blind, if you're going to do that you'd best find a place away from the pack lest they get whipped up into a frenzy of lust, and let me tell you at that point they're beyond my control." Hearing this Gaile averted his gaze elsewhere as the blush on Nerco's face grew more intense. "What are you sayi- It's not like that at all!" She said, trying, and failing miserably to hide her blush. "What ever you love birds say." Baalthazar said as he got up and headed for his bed in the north eastern corner of The Church's main hall. "I'm going for a walk, Would you like to join me Nerco?" Gaile asked getting up and heading toward the doorway of The Church. "No, I'm fine where I am, I don't want Baalthazar getting any ideas about the two of us." She said as her blush finally disappeared.

The hours went by as she continued to stare into the flames "He's been gone for some time... Maybe I should... No. He's fine. After all, not just anyone could defeat the likes of him..." She said aloud to no one in particular. Her heart sank as she heard a voice that could only be Gaile's and the familiar gunfire that had become synonymous with Djura's presence atop the Old Yharnam clock tower. Hearing this she bolted upright and out the door only to run into Baalthazar, "Whoa slow down... where are you going At this hour?" She didn't have time for this! "I just heard Gaile scream out and Djura's- I don't have time for this I'm sorry!" she said as she bolted past Baalthazar "She won't admit her feelings to herself or to him... but I see it plain as day..." Baalthazar remarked to himself as he went back to bed. As Nerco continued to sprint through the streets vaulting over low fences and through open gates until she came upon the sight of Gaile tearing apart several hunters with the Beast Cutter the walls and cobblestone floor painted in a sanguine canvas of black and red.

Gaile had been enveloped by a reddish black aura, and the closer she got, the more evident it became, Gaile was losing himself to his Beasthood. "Gaile? Are you alr-" She began to ask but was cut off as Gaile held his hand outward stopping her "Get away from me! I can't contr-!" Gaile choked out as the aura continued to grow. "...Nerco, You have to kill me! I don't want to hurt you!" she took a step forward and interlocked her hand with Gaile's now clawed, beast-like hand. "No... I won't do it..." She said with sadness in her voice. "Kill me! you have no idea what I'm capable of under the effects of my beasthood!" She instead dashed forward hugging him from behind and screamed "No! I won't. You can't ask me to do this Gaile! I already lost Balus... And I don't want to lose you too..." she said as a single tear hit Gaile's cheek This seemed to calm Gaile for a moment before he spoke again.

"I lied about what happened to my sister, It wasn't a Black Church Doctor that killed her. ...I killed my sister with my own two hands because I lost myself to my beasthood... just like I'm losing myself right now... So Please... End it." He said as the aura returned with a vengeance and wracked his body with more pain as the beast within demanded to be sated with blood, and as swiftly as it had come the aura disappeared and Gaile stood silent and unmoving breathing calmly until Nerco spoke out "Gaile? Are you okay?" She asked, deeply concerned for her friend "More..." He spoke out, "Give me more... BLOOD!" he roared as he turned on a heel swinging the Beast Cutter at her which she easily dodged having had a hand in the old weapon's design. "Your blood is MINE, A KEEPER'S BLOOD FOR ME!" he roared once again swinging the heavy whip at her in a mad attempt to sate his blood lust.

A look of sorrow etched itself into her features "... Very well... I'll make it swift then... I'm so sorry Gaile..." as she raised her hand and readied a fire bolt she found it hard to focus through the tears until she heard it. "Look at you Gaile, you sorry drunk!" an unknown voice said, confusing the both of them "Were you not once a hunter? Is this sincerely what you want?" the voice said again as he raised the Beast Cutter once again ready to lash it out at Nerco when a black feathered mass dropped in front of him slicing into him, hitting him with a flurry of quick blows and deep gashes until suddenly she spoke "That's enough now Gaile, no one will blame you." after this she finished with one last flurry of strikes across the chest. "Nerco... I'm sorry..." were the last words he said falling backwards as his world went black.

Nerco falls to her knees disbelief frozen on her face as the Huntress wearing a strange mask turns to face her, any expression on her face obscured by the beak-like mask "You... didn't you die in his arms?" the figure stood a moment before she scoffed "Is that what he told you? Ever the romantic I see..." she couldn't help herself as a low chuckle sounded from beneath the mask much to Nerco's annoyance. "Quite so, he seemed... very distraught about it..." she let out an exasperated sigh and spoke once more, "I told him I was going to have a short rest and that I had taken enough blood to save the likes of me, enough to save an Old Woman..." Nerco was the one to chuckle this time "I'm guessing he didn't listen, I can confirm this..." Nerco said and the figure nodded curtly.

"I must have died in my sleep because when I came to I was back in the Hunter's Dream..."

Nerco blinked once before exhaling. "I see, but you came back regardless... to save him of all things?" At this notion the figure scoffed a second time. "Save him? He was a blood drunk beast! I was merely doing my duty as a Hunter of Hunters." the figure seemed to be alert for something never allowing her guard to drop "Hunter of Hunters? Hmm..." The howl of a nearby beast and the sound of a heavy body hitting the ground served to alert the two as a haggard looking Gaile turned the corner eyes fixed on the feather clad figure "Rancid Beasts every last one of us..." He spoke as he continued to walk forward stopping when he noticed Nerco on her knees with a wide eyed expression on her face before she returned to her usual stoic self. "I'm so-" she cut him off with a slap to the face. "Hey! What was that for?!" Gaile yelled as he cupped his cheek with several scratches on it from the claw pieces at the end of her gloves. "Y-YOU!..." she rushes forward hugging him and mutters under her breath "don't you ever do this again... ever." when she releases him he mutters "I'm sorry..." under his breath so that only Nerco will hear it.

Looking up at Eileen he nods in her direction. "Thank you, Eileen. If you hadn't dropped in when you did I'm not sure what I would've done..." Gaile said as he shook the old female hunter's outstretched hand. "I do believe you have some things to talk about... so... I'll leave you both to it." The hunter, Eileen looked over at Nerco "We've nothing to talk about... I merely did my job as a Hunter of Hunters... And I don't exactly mind walloping him any time he loses his way..." which earned a glare from Gaile. "Fuck you too, you dusty old crow!" to which Eileen chuckled lightly, "In your dreams. Besides, I'm much too old for the likes of you..." which caused Nerco to glare at her along with him "You think your old? I've lived ten of your lifetimes!" which shocked Eileen as well as put her on edge "What are you?" she asked her short sword at the ready "I can answer that Eileen. She's my companion and she's one of, if not the oldest living Keeper of the Old Lords. My advice? Walk away. She's far beyond anything you can handle. Even if she held back you'd still die." Gaile said informatively and Nerco followed up "Even if you did manage to beat me, I'd take you down with me. That, I promise you." Nerco finished as a awestruck Eileen put her blade away.

With a sigh she let her shoulders hang low "I don't seem to be apt for this life anymore... I'll admit my glory days were long ago now..." She said while pulling her unique badge from its place around her neck "Here, Gaile. For you... This too is hunters' work... but it bears no honor, a burden you may choose to carry..." she said as she placed it around his neck and began walking toward the clearing of the Old Yharnam Square when she was suddenly cut down in a hail of blood and bullets.

"Augh... You can't go on like this... Djura." she said sombrely as she fell to the ground, face down in a pool of her own blood. "Eileen!" Gaile shouted out and started toward her only to be held back by Nerco. "If you go to her the same thing is going to happen to you dammit!" This got through to him as he stopped fighting her and relaxed. But was instantly set off again when Djura's condescending voice filled the air, echoing throughout the empty square. "I should think you still have dreams... Well Eileen. The next time that you dream... Give some thought." Though they were unable to pinpoint his exact location due to the echoing of his voice it was close by that much they knew for sure... "Bastard is using a Gatling Gun..." Gaile muttered angrily reaching into the satchel and procuring another Blood Pellet which was once again snatched away by Nerco. "Are you insane? You just lost yourself to these things and now your going to use another one?" She yelled at him. "You're right Nerco... but he's haunted this place for long enough... Djura! Eileen didn't hunt beasts you son of a bitch! She dealt with blood addled pieces of trash like you!"

He said as he bolted around the corner dead sprint drawing Djura's line of fire away from Nerco as she made her move to a nearby clearing near the base of the clock tower. Unbeknownst to her one of Djura's last remaining companions had noticed her and was sneaking in for the kill but not before getting a little pleasure out of it "Hello." was all the hunter said as he hit her with a vial of clear viscous liquid when she tried to hit him with a fire blast she found she was unable to do so. "Numbing Mist Love, makes it easier to deal with my foes when their Arcane Users like yourself."

Nerco responded by drawing her Rakuyo and splitting it into its dual wield form "Oh, how cute... the lass fancies herself a huntress." he said as he effortlessly knocked her sword and dagger from her grip likely an effect of the mist. "Now. Let's begin..." he said as he threw Nerco to the ground pinning her by the neck as he took his time trying to undress her not knowing how to undo the clasps on her Bone Ash Mail he let out a growl and started tearing into her clothing exposing her breasts to the night air before he began roughly fondling them with his leather clad hands. "Dont worry now... We'll both enjoy this in the end. Myself likely more than you however." he said chuckling darkly after he had enough foreplay he began tearing apart her leggings exposing her maidenhood to the cold night air "Clean shaven? Such a naughty thing." he said chucking as he fumbled with his belt finally undoing it and his trousers as he lined himself up with her entrance.

Unable to watch what was about to happen she shut her eyes tight as all hope seemed lost when suddenly a splash of warm blood hit her face following and an agonized scream. She opened her eyes to see Gaile's black leather clad hand speared through the man's back before wrenching him up and off of Nerco and throwing him down a ramp into a few crates. "You okay?" Gaile asked tossing her Eileen's Crowfeather Set to which she responded with a questioning look "I cremated her these were acquired through a transaction of my own insight." he said before turning around to give Nerco some privacy "Augh.. you son of a-" The other hunter began to say but was silenced by a swift and brutal kick to the face by a now fully clothed Nerco. "When I'm through with you... you're going to wish that Gaile had killed you..." she said in a venomous tone devoid of any emotion "What? You think I can't take whatever you dish out? You're a fire user! My Asher Set will keep me safe from the flames! So bring it on bitch!" He said defiantly as he began to stand up he suddenly felt an intense burning in his loins looking down he found his manhood set ablaze and nothing he tried would extinguish the flames and to Nerco's satisfaction he cried like a little bitch, but she was nowhere near finished with him. She would teach him what it means and what it costs you when you underestimate a Keeper of the Old Lords.

As the flames finally died his manhood had been completely disintegrated and the skin cauterized leaving only scarred patch of what he once had. "You bitch... YOU FUCKING BITCH! I'm gonna skin you alive you fucking cunt!" he roared as he ran toward her only to be completely engulfed by raging fires seeking an escape from the agony he was in he drew his pistol and placed it to his temple, only for it to be kicked from his hand by Gaile "I don't approve of this pain she's putting you through... But you... For what you were going to do to her, you deserve no such mercy." Gaile said in an equally venomous tone "WAAAAAAAAARRRGH! END THE PAIN! PLEASE! END IT!" he howled in agony as the flames ate through his clothing and began to consume him "Gaile is right. You deserve no such release. Let the fire purify your urges, and your sickening spirit." she said as she looked over her handiwork with much satisfaction. "Feel better?" Gaile asked slightly afraid of Nerco now that he's seen what she's truly capable of. "Yes. As a matter of fact, I do." she said as she willed the flames to die down seeing that the man was still very much alive albeit barely so. "I'm done here... You can do what you wish to him Gaile... Finish him, Spare him and let him rot, it makes no difference to me..." she said walking away only to spot Gaile's handywork on the now dead Djura, his body torn in half likely with a single well placed swing from the Beast Cutter until she noticed that his torso was still alive and attempting the crawl away.

She quickly caught up to him and placing slight pressure on his back preventing him going any farther she asked him "Do you have any idea the disgusting things your companion has done?" Djura's response was to let out a groan of pain followed by an exasperated sigh. "No I wasn't, whatever he has done or attempted to do, he has earned whatever fate has befallen him." Djura said flatly. "Hmm... I could heal you if you would allow us safe passage into Cathedral Ward... Tempted?"

She asked the dying veteran hunter. "For five years, I've looked after this city... Five, long years... As much as I'd like to accept your offer... I'm afraid I must refuse it. Just remember one thing... You and Gaile... You're not hunting Beasts... You're hunting People..." He said as he let out his last breath and passed away. "May you find solace in your next life Djura... Rest in Peace." she said as she pieced his bisected corpse back together and enveloped him in a cleansing bath of fire. That in a matter of moments had burned him to ashes. Ashes that were soon scattered by the wind, and as the last of it was swept up and away with the wind all that remained was a brilliant ember orange radial blood gem which she wasted no time socketing into her Rakuyo. "Hmm a Bone Ash gem... A farewell gift perhaps?" as if in response the wind kicked up a second time freeing her bangs from the confines of her hood "Very well then... I appreciate it very much..." She said as she walked back to Gaile only to hear a gunshot and find a hole In the wall next to the burnt maggot's head "I kill him and he goes back to the dream and gets another shot at the two of us. Not to mention he gets back, what you took from him." to which Nerco let out a sound of utter disgust. "This will see that he never awakens in the dream again." She said, showing Gaile the brilliant ember orange gem that she had found formed from Djura's remains "A Bone Ash gem?" those are very rare and... "Only keepers can forge them..." She finished for him

She raised her gem socketed Rakuyo above her head, ready to deliver the final strike against her foe. "Death at the edge of this sword will set your soul wandering in the nightmare forever..." She said with finality as she brought the sword down and slid it home into the maggot hunter's heart silencing him forever as well as sentencing him to an eternity in the Hunter's Nightmare. "Again, remind me never to piss you off..." Gaile said plainly as he walked toward the ladder that lead upward to the entrance of Cathedral Ward waiting at the entrance was Baalthazar with his pack. "So Djura is dead... Did you really have to kill him Gaile?" he asked in a tone filled with sadness "I know he was your friend Baalthazar but he was beyond reason. To him, all hunters were the enemy. He even killed Eileen..."

Gaile finished and allowed Baalthazar to speak his peace but before her could Nerco cut him off "I offered to heal his injuries in exchange for safe passage but he refused... I can't make any sense of it..." She said allowing Baalthazar his turn to speak... "You're Right Gaile he was one of my oldest friends. At times He and I would even sit together atop the clock tower chatting feverishly into the late hours of the night... But those times are at an end now... Make your camp here but be gone before morning, ...and don't come back." He said as a chorus of growls started from the ranks of his pack with a deeper and louder growl from Baalthazar being the only thing that silenced them.

Gaile looked at Baalthazar with a sombre expression on his face "As you say Baalthazar, but what happens when the hunters come here once news of Djura's death reaches them?" Gaile asked genuinely concerned for the beast he still thinks of as a friend "Don't worry about us Gaile..." He said with a faint but genuine smile. "When they come we will stand our ground and be not afraid." Hearing this saddened Gaile even more. "I'm going to miss the old tales you used to tell me..." At this Baalthazar frowned "Indeed my boy, and I'm going to miss telling them to you... Now, you two, get some rest" He said as he and the rest of the pack took off into the Square of Old Yharnam back toward The Church at the southern end. "For every action, there is an opposite and equal reaction..." Gaile said with sadness haunting his voice "This is what I get for killing their protector, their friend... And I accept it." He said as he wordlessly built up and lit the bonfire it was a few moments before Nerco joined him wearing her Bone Ash Armor "I thought that maggot tore that stuff apart..." At the mention of the maggot hunter that almost raped her she frowned... "As a keeper its an easy task to mend this armor" She said before she surprisingly sat down next to him. "Those pellets... Gaile I... I dammit, you scared me alright?... I thought you'd turned into something lost... and..." She says with a sigh before finishing. "I've come to appreciate your company. So please... Just... don't let yourself turn like that... I'd hate to lose you..." She said as she leaned over and grasped hold of the satchel of blood pellets. "I honestly don't believe that you need these..."

She says holding the Satchel in her hands "You just don't have enough faith in yourself as a hunter... Even in the most desperate battle you don't really need these. I also believe that your much better off without them, and that you ought to be rid of them once and for all." She said as she placed it back in the lining of Gaile's coat. he picked it up and considered tossing the damnable pellets into the fire but clutched it tight remembering all the times he's used them, and won because of their monstrous effect. Feeling a hand rest on his he looks over to see Nerco looking at him "Know that I'll continue to follow you regardless of your decision, but should you lose control of yourself the way you did before I might not be able to defeat you and if you ever come back down from the high of your beasthood... My blood will be on your hands..." She said while removing the six eyed Bone Ash Visor that almost always adorned her face beneath her hood. "Could you live with yourself if that happened?" She asked as She met his gaze, her violet eyes staring into his golden yellow orbs, one faded slightly from a scar over it. He reaches up and slowly pulls down her hood and finally sees her face. A long scar running over her right eye along with a red scorpion shaped brand mark above that. Expecting him to recoil she's surprised when he places his hand on her cheek continuing to stare into her violet eyes. "Your eyes... I cant stop looking at them... Nerco, you're beautiful..." Gaile says causing her to blush slightly. "I don't need these." He says tossing the pellets into the fire. "I never will either, so long as I have you..." He said making her blush deepen even more.

"For so long I've kept my emotions bottled up inside... afraid to let myself feel anything... Simply knowing that I would outlive anyone I fell in love with was torture and I couldn't stand it." She said, letting her feelings out for the first time in centuries... "Gaile all the times I've said I enjoyed your company... I meant it, ...And I guess what I'm trying to say is... I... I...love you..." She said as she leaned forward and caught Gaile in a passionate kiss Gaile's response is to tighten his hold on her as he returns the kiss and deepens it never wanting it to end. Unable to contain her emotions any longer the centuries old damn on her emotions collapses and the tears come flooding when they break for air she buries her head in his chest letting the tears flow... "I love you too Nerco." Gaile said as he lifted her head by the chin wiping away her tears and catching her in another kiss which she returns the kiss matching his passion as more tears of joy flow down her face...

To be Continued in Chapter 4

 **-Author's Corner-**

 **Whoo Boy! Things are getting heated! the build-up and suspense in this chapter was murder for me.**

 **Oh and Combine, I'm sorry ;-;**

 **Gaile: No you aren't. It was for the progress of the story and you know it.**

 ***Cocks Evelyn and loads it with Black Bone Ash***

 **Nerco: I swear, if you got a boner while writing this I'm going to kill you. And after your dead**

 **I'll keep resurrecting you so I can kill you again!**

 ***Is gone.***

 **Both: Fuck!**

 **Also Combine, get ready for CH4 I told you that that was when they were going to act on the love they've developed for each other... but I didn't say it was going to be one long scene.**

 **Peace out Everyone!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I should warn any readers that this is a lemon and as such contains explicit sexual content. Those under the age of at least 17 should turn back now lest they be mind-fucked by a Winter Lantern.**

As the hours go on Gaile and Nerco are still deep in the throes of their passion for one another once again they break for air as Nerco begins to undo the clasps on her Bone Ash Armor starting with her gauntlets she removes them and sets them off to the side and then takes off the black mantle that she wears over her chest piece neatly folding it and placing it on top of the gauntlets all the while holding a deep and passionate kiss with Gaile. She feels his tongue poking at her lips begging for entry she submits and allows him into her mouth their tongues wrestling and dancing about. Once more they break for air as Gaile begins to remove his garments starting with his worn out black duster he isn't as neat about his clothing as Nerco, as he simply tosses the ragged coat to his left. Removing his hat and face mask they soon follow the same fate simply tossed aside into a pile with his duster the next thing to come off is Nerco's chest piece placed atop the folded mantle followed by her hooded garb. Her ashen toned skin glows in the moonlight as she erects a barrier of nightmare fog to keep prying eyes away as she removes her undershirt exposing her breasts for the second time that night to the cold night time air. Blush evident on her face "Nervous?" A shirtless Gaile asks kissing her forehead. "A little bit... I may be centuries old but that doesn't mean that I've lain with another. I'm yours and yours alone Gaile..." She says as she lies back to work on the clasps of her boots removing them and lazily tossing them aside. "What happened to the neatness from before?" Gaile asked jokingly as she glared at him before her expression softened. "Only my upper garments, besides you look rather eager to begin." She said noticing the bulge in his pants which caused him to blush slightly as she undid the clasps on her pants and slid out of them revealing her maidenhood and stocking clad legs to him "Am I that obvious?" he asked with a light tone of sarcasm "It would seem that way but alas, you're going to have to work for your prize Gaile." She said with a blush as he reached up and began fondling her breasts, massaging them, teasing her nipples with the occasional flick before suddenly, he bent down taking one in his mouth and started suckling much to her pleasure.

"Nnnngh!~ don't stop..." She moaned through heavy breaths as Gaile continued his ministrations bringing her closer and closer to her release before he stopped his attack on her left breast and moved to the right and resumed his work using his left hand to massage the left breast teasing it every so often and eliciting a moan from his lover. He suddenly stopped his attack on her breasts and began planting a trail of kisses down her body, over her stomach, down to her navel, and finally he reached it. Her most private area he planted kisses on the insides of her thighs and gave her entrance an experimental lick as her clitoris started to enlarge as it became engorged with blood. Gaile took his time with the little bundle of nerves flicking it lightly, sucking on it from time to time any time Nerco came close to the threshold he would stop and let her wind down both dragging on her pleasure and irritating her at the same time. That is, until a devious idea popped into her head she summoned a ghost hand that pushed his head into her groin not letting up and refusing to be beaten he started fighting back as he thrust his tongue into her moist depths going as deep as he could before withdrawing earning a light whine from Nerco and causing Gaile to chuckle before he dove back in needing no further encouragement from the ghostly hand that had long since disappeared. It wasn't long before she was at the threshold again and this time. He didn't stop.

Going over the edge she clamped down on his tongue as her nectar gushed forth. Gaile wasted no time in consuming the sweet tasting fluid... standing back up and looking down on Nerco he began to undo his belt and take off his trousers discarding both items to his pile next to his boots his Nerco was surprised to see his seven inch erection standing twitching in tandem with his pulse he began to move toward Nerco who had finally come down from her high as she lunged forward knocking Gaile to the ground "I-It's my turn now Gaile~" She said as she gently grabbed hold of his member feeling it pulse in her hand she began to stroke up and down at first slowly earning light moans from Gaile. "Your hand feels amazing! Nerco don't stop!" Gaile said through moans and breaths. Needing no further encouragement she suddenly took him in her mouth and began to work on him driving him closer and closer to release. Unable to hold on any longer Gaile grabbed hold of Nerco's head holding it in place as he erupted inside her mouth. She wasted no time in swallowing his load just as he had done with her. Slowly, she released him from her mouth, ending it with a small 'pop' sound. "I actually enjoy your taste... Gaile" She genuinely smiled before moving in closer their faces less than an inch from each other, her violet eyes locking with his own golden yellow orbs before she suddenly moved in and kissed him passionately, her tongue poking at his lips begging for entry. He obliged parting his lips slightly to allow her in. Their tongues battled for dominance dancing around one another each enjoying the others tastes. They only stopped to breathe before going right back to their make out session. After the third time breaking apart to get air he noticed Nerco's eyes weren't just violet anymore, they were a vibrantly glowing too, He soon found himself being straddled by Nerco who had placed his tip at the entrance to her soaked maidenhood, and with that she slowly lowered herself onto him, moaning as the sensation of being filled took hold as he slid deeper into her wet depths.

Until about an inch and a half of the way in He felt a blockage. "Nerco... this isn't your first time is it?" He asked, and with an embarrassed blush on her face, she nodded, "Yes. I already told you, I'm yours and yours alone but please, be gentle with me." Hearing this Gaile nodded grasping her by the hips and lifting her up ever so slightly before pulling her into another passionate kiss before bringing her back down pushing through her hymen and hilting himself deep within her folds. Hearing her gasp in pain he noticed several tears forming the corner of her eyes knowing that the first time is painful. "Are you OK Nerco? If you want me to I'll stop." He said with a note of concern in his voice, "No, its fine you don't have to stop just go slow for now." She said, "Then with your permission?" He asked before pulling her into another kiss, "Y-Yes go on." she said between breaths, Grabbing onto her hips again He lifted her up and off of himself as he shifted their positions laying her down on his coat She smiled at the gesture and having recovered from the pain she moaned lightly as he began thrusting himself into her folds.

Nerco's pussy was amazingly tight and while she squeezed him hundreds upon hundreds of small villi were rubbing and stroking along his length with every thrust along with the her contracting her walls at will it took everything he had not to cum from just inserting alone. Soon enough he was thrusting at a moderate pace as the initial pain faded to immense pleasure with Nerco moaning and gasping at every thrust, before long he felt his resistance beginning to wane as Nerco's says between gasps "I-I'm going to... cum... soon..." wanting to make sure she was pleased he picked up his pace and began to thrust harder and harder "Me too..." He said as moans and gasps became screams of pleasure and with one final thrust he kissed her womb as she arched her back and clamped down on him like a vice. Her fluids sprayed out drenching him; hitting his limit with one long moan he pumped rope after rope after rope of cum into her womb and withdrew himself from her quivering pussy as a mixture of their love seeped out of her and onto the ground. "Nerco." He said as exhaustion began to weigh down his eyelids "Yes?" she said on the verge of passing out just like him "I don't ever want this to end." He said as she curled up next to him her head resting on his shoulder. "I know, me neither. I love you Gaile..." She said sleepily, With the last bit of strength he had he leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. "I love you too, Nerco." He said as he finally passed out, but that wouldn't be the end as a familiar reddish black aura began to envelop Gaile wracking his body not with pain but with euphoria as his body began to change under the influence of his beasthood.

Nerco was awoken by the lack of his warmth when she noticed him undergoing the same transformation as before his nails turned to claws, teeth sharpened and elongated the once white sclera of his was now a pitch black and his once human pupils had dilated into beast-like slits but when shocked Nerco the most was how his body hand changed there was almost no physical change to his already muscular physique but as she looked down lower his legs became disjointed like that of a Lycanthrope and finally, his member had both increased in length and slightly in girth having grown a bulge at the base as his transformation completed. He was breathing heavily as he looked up eyes falling upon her he slowly walked toward her member twitching faster than before with his vastly increased heartbeat "Gaile? Is that y-" she was cut off as he pushed her down, not hard, but not gently either. She was trapped under him but she didn't fight it "I see your other side wants a piece of me as well." his response was to lick her face despite their beastly appearance his eyes were still soft, he was in control of himself, though for how long? She didn't know. Quite frankly, she didn't care either, she loved him, and he loved her and that was all she needed to know. His larger hand cupped her right breast and began to massage it earning a moan from her as he teased her nipple with the claw on his thumb. He stopped much to her annoyance as he lowered himself and began to lick at her womanhood his tongue, much longer now due to his transformation he wasted no time diving into her depths reaching all the way to her womb, and he still had tongue to spare as he pushed through her cervix and began flicking his tongue around lapping at her innermost walls, earning a gasp of pleasure from Nerco as he pulled back it back out she clamped down on his tongue her nectar once again gushing into his mouth. Invigorating his beasthood even more than it already had.

Rising back up he began to lick her face as he lined himself up with her entrance. He pushed in slowly, allowing her to adjust to his increased girth. When he least expected it she captured his tongue in her mouth and began to suck on it bobbing up and down as he continued to push into her depths. Once he stopped she released his tongue, "Well? What are you waiting for Gaile?" she said knowing full well how hard it must have been to control the beast within for as long as he had. She was amazed his self-control lad lasted this long and without warning his hand pinned her down by the neck as he began to thrust panting like the beast he was he thrusted harder and harder earning screams of pleasure and causing Gaile to emit growls of lust as the beast within mated with her.

She began to feel a bulge hitting her lower lips looking down she saw the knot at the base of his member had begun to swell as the blood vessels became engorged. and his next load was prepared. Knowing he was close she hugged his waist with her legs allowing him to go much deeper than before and with one final thrust she felt the bulbous knot pop inside of her locking them together as she clamped down on him his load spilling inside of her as the tip of his member had passed through her cervix into her womb there was so much that she could see a slight expansion of her stomach. The heat of his beastly seed was too much as she clamped down on him again as another orgasm rocked her body mere minutes after the first. they lay like this for what seemed like forever until the knot deflated and he slid out of her, his seed spilling onto the ground. "Gaile... I love you so much..." She said kissing him on the tip of his snout and as she drifted off to sleep she heard it, a guttural growl of a voice that could only be Gaile's "I love you too Nerco" He said as he began to change back into his usual self. Pulling his coat and blankets over them, his softening member still buried inside of her, He planted one last kiss on her forehead as sleep took them both.


	5. Chapter 5

The Sun was just on the horizon when Gaile and Nerco woke from their evening of passion Gaile being the first to awaken rolled his coat back over the sleeping Nerco as he pulled on his undergarments, trousers and his black undershirt finally pulling on his heavy boots, he nudged the still sleeping Nerco awake as much to her annoyance "Not a morning person are you?" Gaile asked, "No, Its not that. I just wanted to lie with you a little while longer." She said as he leaned down to kiss her forehead, the simple act quickly becoming a signature sign of affection from Gaile. "Come on, get dressed we need to get moving Baalthazar and his pack will be here soon and if we aren't gone... there will likely be bloodshed, and that is the last thing I want." She groaned lightly as she got up and began to dress herself "You know, your coat is actually pretty warm I just might keep it for myself." She said, chuckling lightly at his dismayed expression as she tossed him his midnight black duster. Once she was finished getting dressed she dispelled the fog barrier with a simple wave of her hand and surely enough waiting for them was Baalthazar and his pack mates, Baalthazar had an amused expression on his old, wrinkled face.

He rose from his place leaning against a crumbling obelisk and began a slow but steady walk toward the two lovers. "You two... My god!" He started. "You two stirred up hell last night!" Gaile chuckled mirthfully while Nerco looked down to hide her blush. "Oh shut up... Both of you..." She muttered under her breath. "It took everything I had to keep my pack from going over there to try and join in!" He said as Nerco looked up with a horrified expression on her blushing face "We couldn't have been THAT bad!" She said with a slightly raised voice. "You threw the pack into a frenzy. When I refused to let them leave the church to join in on the fun you were having, they just started going at it with each other!" he said with a hearty laugh "Oh god why?" Gaile and Nerco said at the exact same time. Gaile was getting the mental image of a bloodbath of beasts fighting each other to get a turn with Nerco. Nerco herself, had got the mental image of beast after beast having their way with her after Gaile had finished. "Not just no, but HELL no" Gaile said looking at her noticing her blush. He then turned his attention on Baalthazar's pack mates.

"She's mine... you hear me?" he said venomously as his eyes shifted into their beasthood appearance. "Calm down there Gaile, they know." Baalthazar said wide eyed at Gaile's sudden shift in personality. "Baalthazar you might be able to give me some information on my beasthood" Gaile said as his eyes reverted back to their normal human appearance. At this, Baalthazar's eyes narrowed. "Go on." He said giving Gaile the floor so to say "last night while were were... you know... I think I might have transformed partially, but I was still in control of myself for a good while... Any ideas?" Gaile asked the old beast. "I've heard of this sort of thing happening to hunters and huntresses. Its called Beast Resonance and what you described was Partial Resonance... You transform to a limited degree and maintain your humanity, and dependent on the situation at hand the parts of you that change can vary."

Both Gaile and Nerco nodded at this committing the information to memory. Needing to relieve herself, Nerco walked away leaving Gaile and Baalthazar to their own devices. "Now that she's gone... Gaile I have to ask you." Baalthazar said, his gaze hardening and his tone becoming serious.

"Did you two have sex last night? I already know the answer of course, but I'm not talking sex between a man and a woman. I'm asking if you transformed during the event?" Gaile's eyes narrowed at this. "I don't like where this is going Baalthazar." He said as calmly as he could muster as his left eye shifted again. "It's a question I have to ask I'm afraid..." He said in a reassuring tone. "Alright... Yes, we had sex last night but of course you and your pack already knew you could likely smell us all the way from the church. As for whether or not I transformed.. I have no idea I would have to ask-" Gaile had started to say but stopped when he heard Nerco's voice "Me." Nerco said cutting him off as she returned to the clearing. "You would have to ask me, And the answer is yes... He did transform..." Baalthazar looked from Gaile to Nerco and back to Gaile with a distant, forlorn expression on his face. "Oh my god... The old prophecy..." Baalthazar said with a fearful tone "Girl please for the love of god tell me you aren't pregnant..."

Nerco just stood there, looking at him like he'd gone insane "I wouldn't know... Furthermore, why does that even matter?" She said on guard he hand resting on her sheathed Rakuyo. "Do you know the old prophecy regarding the union of Kin and Beast?" Baalthazar asked catching Nerco by complete surprise. "Yes... Of course, but why ask me that?" She said with a worried tone. "Keepers like yourself were made by the great ones, in a ritual of fire that melded body and soul into one solitary entity, thus making them immortal and at the same time trapping them in the age they were when they were first made into Keepers." Baalthazar said plainly before continuing "They were created as caretakers to watch over them as they slumbered." He continued to explain "Which I know all to well Baalthazar" She said flatly. "Then you should know why I fear the possibility that you're with child." At that point realization hit her harder than a brick troll as she remembered the exact details of the prophecy. "A Keeper of Loran shall fall for a Beast, ...and she shall bear a child the great ones will covet above all else..."

Nerco fell to her knees In shock "It can't be me... It just CAN'T BE." She said to no one in particular. "It will be alright Nerco." Gaile said trying to comfort his lover "There s no way in hell that its you." He said as he kissed her forehead in an attempt to calm her. Needless to say, it worked. She began to calm down and relaxed in his arms. "I don't want to be the mother of a child that The Great Ones want to take from me." She said as she began to cry into Gaile's chest. "Of course I could be wrong..." Baalthazar said feeling somewhat bad that he drove her to this point "Besides there's someone here who would know if you were pregnant" Baalthazar said with a happy expression on his face, and as if on cue a female figure walked out from an alleyway. She was clad in all white garments and hey skin was grey and mottled she had a head of pure white hair. Though her most striking feature was her luminous, piercing green eyes. "Thank you for coming out here on such short notice Brie" Baalthazar said as he bowed his head his pack seeing this was quick to follow suit. Her response was to glare at him for just a moment before her gaze softened and she nodded curtly. She said nothing but she was not as human as her for let on as all members concerned got a mental flash of who she really was. Nerco was the first to act "Ebrietas... What are you... how? The fountain has been sealed off for centuries..." Ebrietas looked at Nerco and blinked sending another mental image to her "An astral projection... I see..." She said standing up as Ebrietas walked toward her. Getting a closer look at her clothing, Ebrietas is wearing a white haori, with a black sparkling interior lining, that looked like billions of stars. Beneath the haori she was wearing a white dress that had two splits in the sides. Present on her dress were fine light blue caryll rune inscriptions running parallel to the splits in her dress the only part of her clothing that was not white were the light blue leggings she was wearing beneath the dress, she had no shoes on as her feet just seemed to fade into nothingness further showing that she wasn't actually there in person.

She placed a hand on Nerco's stomach and held it there for only a moment before lifting it away she then placed her forehead to Nerco's sharing what she had felt with her and her alone. To her relief, Nerco herself was not pregnant but the act had stimulated her reproductive system and she would likely get pregnant the second or third time around... This startled Nerco, she didn't regret what she did with Gaile at all, how could she? After all the two seemed to be made for one another. After a moment, Ebrietas moved her mouth as though speaking though no sound came the message was heard only by Nerco and Gaile "I wish I could stay longer and answer more questions but I've exhausted myself for today... Her tone progressively changed and began to sound more and more tired "If and when the day comes that you do fall pregnant... seek the fountain I will grant you sanctuary from the others who would take your child from you." this made Nerco genuinely smile. "Thank you Ebrietas... " She said, unable to control her emotions she hugged the astral projection of Ebrietas who after a brief pause smiled and returned the gesture, before taking several steps backward, fading from existence as she did so. "You heard what she said if I do mess up somehow and get you pregnant... we have a place we can go for safety." Gaile said hugging her close to his frame.

She buried her face in his chest "That doesn't change the fact that I'm still scared... I don't know the first thing about any of it... Pregnancy, Childbirth, Actually being a Mother... These are all foreign concepts to me..." she said as tears began to well up in her eyes "You have me to help you and I'm almost certain Ebrietas would help with raising the child alongside us" Gaile said as he once again kissed her forehead calming her fears. "Thank you Gaile... I honestly don't know how you do it but you have an innate ability to calm me down whenever I'm upset about something..." As they finished packing up their gear they both looked back in Baalthazar's direction. He gave them a genuine smile as the massive oak gates of Old Yharnam closed themselves off behind the two never to be opened again. Gaile called upon the messengers and tasked them with warning any hunter or huntress that might come to hunt in Old Yharnam "This town is a sanctuary for the afflicted. Hunters are not welcome here. Should you disregard this warning, know that death awaits you on the other side of this gate. So, for you who don't listen. Come as often as you like and you will shown many another death." With the message posted Gaile handed the rolled up parchment to the childlike creatures who took it gleefully wanting to do all they could to help their master. Nerco, curious as she was knelt down to inspect the odd little creatures who upon receiving a nod from Gaile allowed her to interact with them. Almost like a child one of them grabbed her index finger and squeezed lightly... letting out their strange vocalizations the messenger bent over and planted a kiss on Nerco's hand, and with that they dissipated back into the strange mist surrounding them.

"Well... Seems like you made some new friends Nerco." Gaile said with a surprised look on his face "Because, I've never seen them do that." He said as she got up "They're actually kind of cute..." she said looking back at the swirling pool of mist as the continued onward after a short climb and several flights of stairs the two found themselves in Cathedral Ward and were greeted by the usual blood drunken insanity that was the populace of Yharnam shouting obscenities and various other threats that were directed at Nerco as they attacked the two Gaile responded by shooting the offending Yharnamites in the head with his Evelyn the force of the impact literally blowing their heads apart like watermelons. "Nerco I have got to get myself some more of this ash sometime." He said with a dark chuckle "I've never seen quicksilver bullets do that." He finished as he walked over to a Yharnamite who was asleep by a camp fire kicking him square in the chest and holding him down by the weight of his leg placing the muzzle of his Evelyn to the Yharnamite's temple he forced him to look at his dead comrades before pulling the trigger with the last charge of Nerco's bone ash. "What... the hell was THAT Gaile?!" Nerco looked at him with a horrified expression on her face until she noticed his eyes were that of a beast's. "What do you mean? Its them or us." He said closing his eyes. When he opened them after a few moments they were back to normal "I've seen you fighting other people. And while you can be a vicious opponent, I've never seen you act like that." she said taking note of the change in his eyes "By the way, you're eyes... they were like a beasts the whole time you did that... Please tell me you don't still have some of those damned pellets." She said with a worried expression on her face "I don't." Gaile said plainly. "I tossed what I had left in the fire last night. I meant what I said before. As long as I have you, I don't need them."

He said walking toward Nerco. "Besides, if I was undergoing any sort of significant change, the beast's embrace would be present and I'd either be trying to kill you... or... well, take you..." He said while averting his gaze a light blush tingeing his cheeks. "Take me?... Oh... Right that's what you meant" She said with a blush realizing what exactly he meant. Then she remembered the night previous how gentle he was and when he transformed how hot his body felt against her due in part to an increased core temperature, the feeling of his beastly member as it pushed into her, the amazing feeling of his knot tying them together, the intense heat of his seed as he filled her. She had been in heaven when he turned, and though she'd never admit it to him she enjoyed him for more when he was transformed under beast resonance and wouldn't mind him – 'No. snap out of it!' She thought to herself shaking her head of the thoughts confusing and slightly worrying Gaile "Hey Nerco, you alright?" He asked with genuine concern for his lover and mate. "I'm fine... I was just thinking... about last night is all." she said looking down in an attempt to hide her deep blush. "You had said I transformed last night... I didn't ta-" Gaile started to ask before Nerco cut him off mid sentence "Yes, you did. It was a bit rougher that you were when we first started, but I can't say that I didn't enjoy it. In fact, when you were transformed under beast resonance, you tried to be as gentle as you could at first but, your beasthood won out in the end, I wasn't expecting it when his knot popped inside of me, I went over the edge the moment it happened." She said in a low tone unable to hide her blush from Gaile, who had averted his gaze to somewhere in the distance. "Well... It certainly sounds like you two had a hell of a night..." said an unknown voice from somewhere above them. The two waited with baited breath for their potential foe to either reveal himself or strike them down. It must have been only five minutes that had passed but it felt like an eternity to them. "Whoever you are, show yourself." Nerco said in the most commanding voice she could muster as their guest had yet to show himself "I'm surprised you made it through Old Yharnam in one piece with Djura haunting the place like he usually does. Or did you kill him too... LIKE YOU KILLED GASCOIGNE!" The voice roared as a blur of yellow dashed toward them from the shadows. His Sawcleaver was alight with arcing blue bolts, obviously the effect of bolt paper.

Gaile's only response was a swift dash forward, following an upward slash of his Beast Cutter, both parrying the attacker's weapon and scoring a devastating hit across his chest which dropped him to his knees, levelling the Beast Cutter on his shoulder he asked, "Do you yield?" Gaile said with a dark tone in his voice. Hearing the familiar voice, the man revealed to be Henryk, looked up in the the golden eyes of his former student. "Gaile... I didn't realise it was you... My apologies I thought-." he said as he slowly got up using his unfolded Cleaver as a cane of sorts to aid in pushing himself to his feet. "That I was the hunter who killed Gascoigne, you'd be right actually." Gaile said earning a shocked expression from his former mentor "Y-You killed him?" Henryk said, in a shocked tone "No. You couldn't have. You wouldn't... You can't honestly expect me to believe that y-" Henryk started to say but was cut off by Gaile. "He was falling apart, Henryk, it had to be done... He would have killed both Myself and Nerco here." Gaile said sombrely. "I took no satisfaction in killing him Henryk, He lost himself entirely to his beasthood." Gaile said as he finished speaking. "I see..." was all Henryk said before speaking again "Did you at least bury him when the deed was done?" Gaile nodded "Not buried per se." He started to say before Nerco finished the sentence "It's and old tradition of Keepers to cremate their fallen foes and the fallen foes of those we travel with." Finally noticing that she was even there, Henryk looked at the Bone Ash clad female who had been silent for much of their talk "And just who might you be?" Henryk asked in an inquisitive tone.

"My name is Nerco, not that it really concerns you." She said in her usual stoic personality. Gaile told me a lot about you, and Gascoigne. You both saved him when he was a child... "Correction, we saved both him and his younger sister, gods rest her soul." He said with a saddened tone remembering the sweet little girl who always used to call her grand-dad. "I assume you know what befell her." He asked as the fond memories continued to tear into him. She would watch intently while Gaile trained with the two veteran hunters and as the time went on she had blossomed into a beautiful young woman who was asked by many of Yharnam's most eligible bachelors for her hand. Gaile was always the one to chase them off when she didn't wish to deal with their nonsense. For she had eyes only for one of the young men who survived the tragedy of Old Yharnam.

A young rascal by the name of Meier although he seemed never to notice her. Unknown to her, Meier was a Lycanthrope and while not a victim of the scourge, he was still a mindless beast. In the early evening of his first hunt, Gaile had unknowingly killed Meier thinking him one of the wolf beasts that were so common in the uninhabited parts of Old Yharnam. "She never did forgive me for it once she found out" Gaile said with the same saddened tone as Henryk. "But then the blood moon appeared in the sky a few years later during Gaile's third hunt"Henryk had said "And his sister went out to look for him as he'd been gone far longer than usual right?" Nerco said having heard the story already. "Yes, She did." Henryk said as a single tear ran down his cheek remembering the sight of her mangled and abused body "She found Gaile but he wasn't himself." Henryk said looking to Gaile for some form of permission to which he nodded "He didn't just kill her Nerco, his beasthood did many terrible things to her before her suffering would end." Nerco's eyes widened at the information she was processing "He took her on the cold streets and after he had his fill of her loins he tore out her throat like the animal he had become.

When I found him he had come to right in front of her. If I hadn't heard him cry out I would never have known. I didn't even have to ask him what happened, I already knew all too well." Henryk said as Gaile finished the tale. "I Begged him to kill me. To let me join her." Gaile said as tears fell down his cheeks in a silent waterfall. Seeing her lover like this tore at Nerco's heart she walked over to him slightly hurt when Gaile started to back away. "Well, one aspect of the prophecy is true I suppose... You did fall in love with a beast." Gaile said as he was backed up into a wall and was surprised when nothing happened but Nerco wrapping her arms around him in a tender hug "That was the past Gaile, I didn't fall in love with that man, I fell love with the man I know now I don't care what you did in your past, you feel remorse for it and that's what matters. I don't know anyone who is as human as you." She said as she stood on the tips of her feet to kiss him with a blush on her face. "Don't go getting all mushy in front me me you two if your going to do that then go get a room!" Henryk said flatly earning a blush from both of them. "HEY! We weren't- T-That's!-" they both said together making the old hunter burst out laughing. As he calmed himself a blue aura of light began to glow beneath his feet "Seems I've been beckoned. Take care you two, and don't worry we'll meet again someday." He said as he dissipated, beckoned by the bell's timbre.

To be continued in CH6


	6. Chapter 6

The rest of Henryk's yellow clad form dissipated in the pale blue light of the beckoning bell as the small resonant bell that hung from a small length of pale yellow cord strung to his belt rung of its own accord in response to the timbre of the bell's ethereal ringing "We probably aren't going to see him for some time... we should get going that bell is going to draw in some seriously unwanted attention." Gaile said with Nerco following in close proximity. "If you mean the Chime Maidens then I'm aware and can dispatch them easily." she said with a dismissing wave of her hand, at this Gaile merely rolled his eyes and continued down the cobblestone path of cathedral ward into the entryway of Oedon Chapel, a safe haven that had become a home to many lost souls stranded during the hunt, Sister Adella, A Nun and Blood Saint of the Healing Church shy and timid, Gaile had to don church garbs to silence her infantile rambling when he found her in the depths of Hypogean Gaol. Then, there was Erron Black, a Narrow Minded Man that had grown on Gaile when once all he had wanted to do was shoot the man in the face whenever he saw him in his visits to the Chapel. Next, was Moira Nightingaile, a Lonely Old Dear and one of the first people he found in his travels around Yharnam, as always she was quietly sitting in her rocking chair tending to knitting for her son who went out to join the hunt thirty years before Gaile ever arrived in Yharnam. Then, there was Arianna, He didn't know her last name as she hadn't given it but one thing she didn't know about Hunters, was blood echoes, he knew her last name without her having to tell him Arianna Schaeffer, A woman of the night, who has a distant blood relation to the ancient Vilebloods of Castle Cainhurst and she is the source of Gaile's boosted Bloodtinge factor. Finally, there was The Chapel Dweller, Gaile didn't know his name as he'd never taken any blood from him. He was the one who had started this little haven and had asked Gaile to send any sane survivors he encountered to The Chapel.

Gaile had first encountered him after defeating a trio of three blood drunk Hunters in the Tomb of Oedon two of them clad in the usual black attire of a Hunter there were respectively armed with a Sawcleaver and a Kirkhammer the third member of the group was dressed in the attire of a Hunter of Hunters and wielded a strange looking hammer. It resembled a war hammer in that it had a spike on top to stab and slash at one's enemies and a blunt hammer head on the bottom for which to bludgeon one's foes to death, the spike also doubled as a firing hammer for the weapon's trick function igniting a micro sized furnace that allowed the weapon to send forth a violent explosion of flames with each consecutive attack that the furnace was fired. Coming back to the present at Oedon Chapel, Gaile had finished telling the short tale to Nerco she was intrigued by the hammer's description "Seems like the Powder Keg's were trying to replicate the abilities of the Keepers..." Gaile looked at her with a thoughtful expression. "Its possible, although its far more likely that they were trying to find a means to combine the brutal impact force of the Church's Kirkhammer and the staple use of fire in the nightly hunts." Gaile said looking at the entryway leading to the tomb where he fought the three Hunters. "Awww why'd ya stop mister hun'ah?" The Dweller asked. "You was just getting to the good part you was.." Gaile looked down at the blind man wrapped in a red shawl "I stopped because its a story to finish for another time and I really must be going." He said, sensing an ominous presence in the distance that he really wanted to investigate. Taking one step forward through the small double doorway looking down the dimly lit winding staircase he looked back at his ashen skinned lover Nerco. "You feel that in the distance?" He asked her unsure of what it was "I feel it, but I don't know what it is if that's what your asking." she said plainly knowing full well what was awaiting them feeling the sinister chimes resonating within her mind, a chime that Keepers can hear long before human ears ever perceive its timbre.

"Well, we can't just sit around here, the peace and quiet is nice but the Choir and Mensis are bound to mobilize and start looking for us sooner or later." He said with a hardened look of hatred on his face. "I want to be as far away from Cathedral Ward and Yahar' Gul as possible when they do." Gaile said as he walked down the staircase toward the tomb only for Nerco to stop him before he could even take five steps down, "Wait, how do you know about the The Choir and The Order of Mensis?" he saw the glow of torchlight and heard the voice of many men deep in prayer to an ungodly force for a successful hunt and capture of their quarry that the prophecy may be fulfilled. "You seem to forget its been ten years since we first met a lot of things have happened since then, Gehrman, for one. Among other things, I made major enemies out of The Choir and The Order of Mensis without even trying to. Regardless I know who they serve and that doesn't bode well for you if they get their hands on you and I promise you I will die permanently before that happens" He said kissing her forehead to reassure he as the prayer and chanting came to a close and the sound of metal on the ladder became apparent. "Either way, its too late to go that way. We can cut around them through the cathedral square but its a dangerous route mainly because of-" before he could finish he was forced to shove Nerco out of the way of a gigantic axe which his shoulder took the full force of, violently flooring him in a pool of his own blood. "Gaile!" Nerco cried horror visible on her face before he twitched and let out a groan. "Oh... you featherbrained son of a bitch! Do you have any idea how much that stings?!" He said as he slowly pushed himself to he feet pulling a blood vial from his coat lining as he did so injecting the ruby red viscous liquid into his thigh his wound began to knit itself together, sinewy strands of muscle and tendon as well as slivers of bone began to weave themselves together leaving no evidence that there was ever a wound to begin with save for the wide split in the shoulder of Gaile's jacket and undershirt which he could easily mend himself with a needle and heavy gauge thread.

"Nerco stay back. I'm fine. I just need to teach this lumbering oaf some manners about hitting a lovely lady like yourself with an axe." He said slowly walking toward the giant humanoid who had since recovered its massive axe from the pavement and raised it above its head ready to swing it downward in an attempt to split Gaile down the middle and take Nerco to The Choir. The axe fell with impressive momentum for something that seemed almost skin and bones with very little muscle but Gaile had anticipated the attack and dodged forward in a tuft of yellow dust. "The Quickening." Nerco muttered under her breath. "Get him, Gaile." She said under her breath hoping no one else heard As the effect of The Quickening expired and Gaile reappeared he had done so mid swing of The Beast Cutter and in an odd turn of events the heavy whip-like cleaver had gotten itself wrapped around the giant's neck pulling on it with everything he had Gaile tugged it free and at the same time severed the giant man's head the weapon behaving in a manner similar to the Threaded Cane, used by Hunters that prefer appearance over effect. The severed head came forward toward Gaile who's response was to nonchalantly shoot it. "that takes care of that." He said as he watched the headless body stand motionless for a few moments more before it crumpled under its own weight in a shower of sanguine blood just like the Snatcher in Ailing Loran. Nerco barely had a moment to duck the severed head that was catapulted toward her by Gaile's aim or lack thereof. "Watch what your doing Gaile! You almost hit me!" She said in a raised voice to which he responded "Look behind you, I wasn't trying to hit you. In fact, I knew full well you would duck." In response to his answer she turned to find a man in black robes laying splayed on his back on the ground outside The Chapel, the severed giants head resting a few inches to the left of his own his head ensnared in a tall cage that ended in crown-like prongs. "Mensis. Figures they'd make the first move." Gaile said looking over to Nerco a the same hardened expression from before present on his features. Looking toward the entrances, more Mensis agents, roughly thirty of them flow out of the doorways surrounding them. The two stand fast waiting for the power hungry fools to make they're move.

"Seems we have guests to entertain Nerco. Let's not keep them waiting shall we?" He said with a smirk as the men began to slowly draw arms most of them carrying the Tonitrus which was a bludgeon that could be used to knock them unconscious, but also stun them with electricity "At least the seem to want as little physical harm as possible." Nerco said taking note of the electricity dancing around the steel sphere's at the ends of the short leather wrapped rods. Soon after, the men began to shift about as much as their circular formation and their surroundings would allow. "I think the audience is beginning to get tired of waiting Gaile." Nerco said again as she readied her Rakuyo, blade dancing with fire. "I'm sure they don't mind-" One of the agents lunged forward only for his head to explode inside his cage as it was blown apart by Gaile's Evelyn. "-Waiting a little bit longer, I'm trying to have a conversation here dammit!" Gaile said, irate at his attackers causing them to back away a few steps giving them some much needed breathing room "at least their considerate." Nerco said before she sheathed her Rakuyo earning puzzled expressions from the agents in front of her but the smirk on her face told them what she was doing far too late for them to get away alive she drew the blade again in a shower of sparks and flame sending an ember orange shockwave toward the group that cut through the seven of them that were attempting to run from her. "You're all going to die." She said in a cold and emotionless voice that Gaile hadn't heard in ten years since he first met her in her quarters in Ailing Loran she pulled from her belt what looked like a dog whistle only it was made out of bone ash she blew on it no audible sound come out but ripples in the very fabric of space began to appear and in explosions of ember and flame two massive horned dogs appeared the tips of their hair appeared to be red hot as it glowed orange as did their eyes "Rasklapanje, Baskerville, Attack." She commanded with the single hushed word in the ears of the massive dogs. and the Hellhounds responded in tune and charged right into the ranks of the Mensis agents, tearing off limbs, ripping out throats, biting off heads, it was pure chaos and the smirk that graced Nerco's face said it all. "You're enjoying this aren't you?!" Gaile hollered over the chorus of agonized wailing as he ripped the Beast Cutter through an unfortunate trio of Mensis agents violently ripping them in half.

"Hah... That was... I haven't had that much fun in two centuries Gaile..." She said as she sent the hounds back whence they came with a wave of her hand. "They won't be hungry for a while. Tough on the other hand Gaile, they do have other urges to satisfy besides hunger. But that's none of my concern. I'm yours and yours alone." She said as she stood up on the toes of her boots to kiss him on account that he was much taller than her. A kiss which he returned with a fiery passion neither wanting the moment to end they eventually had to break for air, and the sound of two footfalls caught their collected attentions causing them to spin on a heel Beast Cutter and Evelyn and Rakuyo respectively drawn at the ready, they saw two figures clad in black the clean cut material and fine embroidery told them that they were from the church but not much more than that "Black Church Hunters? This far from Central Yharnam?" Gaile thought to himself before looking at Nerco, who nodded in response "Hello gentlemen, how can we help you this evening?" They looked shocked as if they hadn't been expecting the question. They looked at each other, back to Gaile and Nerco and back and each other and finally shrugged. "Fuck it." They said in unison before drawing their weapons one came packing a Grigor Scattergun, customized with a wide loop lever and a sawed down stock and barrel, likely to enable him to conceal it within his robes. In his left hand he was carrying a Beast Cutter, which made Gaile crack a small but wicked smile as his left eye shifted into beasthood. "This is going to be fun He's mine." Gaile said in a low growl of a voice, Nerco knowing what was going on nodded "All yours, leftovers are fine with me." She said as she studied the other Cleric who had yet to arm herself, who had drawn an Albrecht Repeating Pistol in standard configuration, wooden grip panels ornate floral engravings around the cylinder housing and on the cylinder itself, the weapon also sported a five inch long barrel. The male Cleric rolled forward and fired the first shell in his shotgun at Gaile beginning the match.

As a Hunter Gaile has superior reaction time and was quick to dive out of the way and fire a shot of his own from his Evelyn his shot missed by mere inches grazing the Cleric's left arm nearly making him drop the shotgun he was carrying. "What's the matter Cleric? Don't tell me this is the best the legendary Black Clerics have to offer me" Gaile said as his other eye shifted as his blood frenzy got the better of him, the Choirs plan working like clockwork tip off Mensis that The Hunter and The Keeper would be in cathedral ward and let them get themselves killed trying to capture them. The eldritch horror coursing in their blood would set off a blood frenzy in The Hunter the likes of which The Keeper has never seen. As Gaile and the Male Cleric were knee deep into their match Nerco was just beginning her's against the Female Cleric still cautiously circling one another, daring the other to make a move finally cracking under the pressure the female lunged forward with her Blade of Mercy in an attempt to subdue Nerco with as little bodily injury as possible. Being the anylitical combatant she was Nerco watched everything she did in a form of slow motion, and deftly sidestepped her attack which left the female open to an attack from behind, any opportunity which Nerco jumped on without mercy, spearing her hand through the young woman's back and out of the front of her chest holding on to her still beating heart before crushing it in her hand. "That's Checkmate." She said as she laid the woman's body down and began to cremate her remains though she kept the pistol as its design intrigued her to no end. The Male cleric just happened to look away from the fight long enough to see the events previous unfold in front of him "Micah!" The Male screamed bolting in Nerco's direction Beast cutter raised no longer caring about the prophecy "How dare you kill my sister..." He said as he hit Nerco with the flat side of his Beast Cutter's segmented blade. "You'll pay for it!" He Yelled as it retracted back into its readied state, "I'll make mince meat out of you!" He yelled as he raised the weapon ready to let it loose and tear into Nerco. She braced for it, Her death. The agonizing pain of the hooked teeth ripping through her flesh, But it never came.

Instead all she heard was the sound of the man howling in pain, the sound of the Beast Cutter clanging as it hit the ground and the loud report of Gaile's Evelyn, he had blown the man's hand off from across the square. "Get the hell away from her you piece of shit cleric scum!" he yelled as he lashed out his own Beast Cutter in his blood fueled rage he swung the weapon far more times than was necessary to kill the Cleric ripping off his left arm and both of his legs. Walking toward him slowly, but filled with pure malice both The Cleric and Nerco could see the Beast Embrace aura surrounding Gaile as he walked toward the two "Come on, Cleric. Get up, ATTACK ME! You've only suffered the loss of your legs. Use a blood vial. heal your severed legs and stand. Come on hurry up. I'm waiting, hurry, hurry, HURRY!" Unable to bear it anymore Nerco ran to Gaile embracing him in a tight hug begging him to wake up and come back to her. "Gaile please wake up, come back to me this isn't you. This isn't the man I fell in love with." She said as she buried her head in his chest sobbing as his maniacal eyes softened and his right eye shifted back into its normal human state "Nerco... thank you... I'd be lost without you to bring me back." He said as he lifted her head by the chin wiping away her tears and kissing her forehead as is a common show of affection for him. "Awww now isn't that just precious? The Keeper calms the raging beast and brings it back to its senses. Heh, guess its on to Plan B, Kill The Mate and take The Keeper to The Pit. The inhabitants therein will make plenty sure that the prophecy is done. You'll give birth to plenty of hybrid children for the Great Ones." The unknown voice said as they looked in all directions finally looking up at the spire on top of The Chapel they noticed one last figure. Another Choir Cleric, this one, clad in white. "Holy Shit." Gaile muttered "They Do Exist... Up until this point I've only ever faced Black Clerics but I've heard horror stories about White Choir Clerics that are Faster, Stronger, and overall Better than the Black Clerics." Gaile finished only for Nerco to pick up "You got one part of that wrong, they aren't necessarily stronger, they can be on the physical level but just on ranking? No." The White Cleric scoffed at her statement and took a swan dive off of his perch atop The Chapel Spire landing on one knee about ten feet away from them his impact having made a small crater. "Sorry to interrupt your little chat but I need her for the prophecy You on the other hand, you pest of a hunter... You can die." The White Cleric said with the utmost politeness and etiquette even finished with a short bow much to the ire of Gaile and Nerco raising his hands he clapped them twice and suddenly the circular plaza filled with more White Clerics they were all armed with short silver swords reminiscent of those that are found used with the Kirkhammer the difference be is that they were all coursing with pale blue electricity.

"Gentlemen. 100 Insight to the man who kills The Mate, and a good once over with The Keeper before we toss her into The Pit." At this Gaile let out an inhuman growl of rage and the circle of clerics backed off somewhat Nerco looked at them all with utter disgust fixing the ones in her field of view with an expression that said "Touch me, and you'll lose that little worm between your legs if he doesn't kill you first." The Clerics regained their composure when two Church Giants lumbered into the Plaza "Great, that's just what we needed." Gaile muttered under his breath. "Sounds like you two could use some help" a hollow female voice sounded out from somewhere above them. Before a black and red shockwave cut one of the Church Giants down to size and several of the Clerics in front of it as an included bonus. "I know that attack." Nerco said out loud to no one In particular. The Other Giant began to look around confused as to why its partner suddenly fell apart before it too met the same fate in a flash of red as a Keeper clad in Black Bone Ash Armour with a Black mantle that faded to bloody red edges based on the shape of the Keeper's figure she was obviously female "Onnen!" Nerco exclaimed happy to see a familiar face. Onnen's response was a curt nod as she drew her sword and just as quickly returned it to her scabbard. Cutting in half, nine of the numerous fifty-seven White Clerics that had surrounded them. "You didn't forget about me now did you?" A deathly cold voice spoke from the shadows. "Thaeon?" Nerco asked as Onnen confirmed with another nod and before the Clerics could react to the name many black swords erupted from the remaining White Clerics' shadows stabbing them all from behind in a unified chorus of pained gasps and cries of agony. "Showoff." Nerco and Onnen both said at the same time as Thaeon faded into existence sheathing a Black Bladed Chikage. "I see you've finally mastered the Muramasa. It suits you." Nerco said catching her old friend in a hug which surprised him. "N-Nice to see you too Nerco." Thaeon said returning the hug and slowly but surely attempting to sneak a grope at her- "No." Was all Onnen said as she hit in over the head as hard as she could. "Huh? Wait... Did he just try to?" She looked at Onnen who nodded she bent over looking at Thaeon who was struggling to get up and smiled it was something only they understood the meaning behind, to Gaile it just looked like a genuine happy smile shared between very old friends.

That is until she snapped her fingers and he burst into flames "olaskfnawdawfgasfalksnfawlsmdafwa" Thaeon screamed out in the old tongue as the flames ate away at him. Deciding he's had enough she snaps her fingers and the flames extinguish themselves. "Now, Thaeon, have you learned not to try grabbing my ass or do you want me to set you on fire again like old times?" She said with the same smile as before, the smile that Gaile was beginning to see the sinister intentions behind the simple expression. Their happy reunion was cut short by a bullet whizzing between the two. "You know, its really rude to ignore a person. Especially when they're working on borrowed ti-" The Cleric didn't finish his sentence as an unseen force crushed him almost as though a giant fist as landed on him. "What the Hell?" A Scorched but awestruck Thaeon called out before he was suddenly snatched up into the air by the same unseen force "Hey! WHAT THE HELL?!" He Cried out as he was sucked unto a small blue vortex, its destination unknown soon after the three of them were also grabbed by the same force and then they saw what Thaeon saw. "Oh god, An Amygdala... What the fuck is it doing here?" Nerco said with fear in her voice as it fixed its many eyes on her before sending her and then Onnen to the unknown location the similar vortexes. Before fixing its gaze on Gaile "What the hell do you want with us?" It gave him a mental flash of Him and Nerco making love and then another flash of a pregnant Nerco and finally a flash of Him and Nerco with their child surrounded by then ever encroaching presence of the Great Ones. "The Prophecy... Why am I not surprised? I'm not going to be the puppet that impregnates her just for your ends.

If I do put a child in her womb it will be ours and you bastards will never lay a finger on it so long as I still draw breath." At this the Amygdala crushed Gaile in its grasp before sending him to whatever hellish dimension it sent the others little did they know he would transform the moment he landed and seek out his mate with lust driving him completely.

To be Continued in CH 7 : The Nightmare Frontier ARC


	7. Chapter 7

As the Amygdala sent the frenzied Gaile to the Nightmare frontier to join his companions an old enemy resurrected by the timbre of the sinister bells walks into the square from the shadows of Oedon Chapel. "Don't think for a second that I don't see you there, Amygdala." The Masked Figure said in an elegant, almost noble tone of voice. "I know your game with The Hunter and The Keeper and I believe I can be of use in speeding things along." revealing its presence to the figure, The Amygdala began to speak within his mind. "And what can you do to as you say speed things along Vileblood?" It asked him, leveling its massive almond shaped head with his entire body, its many eyes fixed on him. "I... Can ignite an old flame of war in The Hunter. He's killed me once already, and will be none too pleased to see me alive and well once more and he'll raise hell itself to kill me again and the frenzy he'll be in at the end of it all will rival the one you've put him in." The Vileblood finished hand resting on his sheathed Chikage. "Do we have an accord or don't we? There more ways than one to reach the Nightmare Frontier besides your hand." He said, a smirk visible in the opening on his helmet, greatly irritating the Amygdala "Know your place Crow. I'll send you there but not for the reasons you wish." It said as it grabbed The Vileblood and crushed him in its grasp in much the same fashion as it did Gaile. Sending him to the Nightmare Frontier but farther away from Gail, Nerco and Co.

Nerco, Onnen and Thaeon had recovered from the less than comfortable landing that they had received when the portal's to the frontier had opened up in mid air dropping them roughly 15 feet onto rough, rocky, jagged terrain when suddenly a fourth gateway opened up on the ground with a splash of blood depositing a haggard looking Gaile who was breathing heavily and shaking uncontrollably, before long the familiar aura of the Beast's Embrace began to surround him as he began to transform before Nerco's eyes Onnen and Thaeon looked at Gaile and back to Nerco. "The Prophecy, he'll be after you. RUN." Onnen shouted. "We'll hold him off!" Thaeon said with a confident smirk. "Trust us." Nerco nodded "I won't forgive you two if you die." She said as she took off up the hill relieving a sleeping Silverbeast of its head as she ran. When she was over the horizon of the hill they turned to see Gaile had stopped at a half transformation "Remember Thaeon, death here is permanent. Nerco will never forgive us if we kill him." Onnen said looking at Gaile as he tore into his already confining jacket and undershirt with his nearly one inch long claws. "Watch, his pants are next, I bet you 5 gold pieces." Thaeon said, earning a slap upside the head from Onnen. "We're not trying to encourage him dammit!" Looking back and Gaile he had sunken his hands into the waistband of his black trousers and torn them off with a feral smirk on his face. "We don't have to do this violently, just let me pass and collect my mate" He said with a growl his breath visible due to his increased core temperature his eyes showing his true nature as a beast.

The two Keepers exchanged looks at each other and then back to Gaile "Can't do it man, I'm sorry" Thaeon said his hand resting on the scabbard of his Muramasa thumb pressed against the tsuba "Either you back down till you calm your shit or I'm going to have to cut you." He said getting into a stance that he recognized from watching Nerco fight "Do all Keepers practice Iiado?" He asked falling into a low crouch tensing the muscles in his legs, knowing full well how to counter the style from sparing with Nerco "Not all of us just Myself, Thaeon, and Nerco" Onnen said taking a different stance that Gaile didn't recognize. "Even if you get past Thaeon I promise you wont get past my attack." she said as she calmly returned the blade to the scabbard, turning her back to him, she began to walk up the hill to serve as the midway point between Gaile and Nerco. "You will not have her in this state of frenzy. You filthy beast." She said as she continued walking. Striking a cord within Gaile He dashed forward flooring Thaeon with a hard but nonlethal punch that knocked him unconscious, his sheer speed as a beast took Onnen by surprise as she had no time to react, or was it his rage? She didn't know but she would pay dearly for it as he lunged at her grabbing her by the neck and spearing his free hand into her chest. Like he had to countless other opponents. Ripping it out of them with the terrible spray of black and red that was blood.

Letting out a gasp of both surprise and pain Onnen fell backward Gaile, stared at her for a second unsure if she was dead or faking to be honest he didn't quite care. He just wanted to get to Nerco as quickly as possible. And with nothing standing in his way it was just a simple game of cat and mouse but what was this... he couldn't find her scent, she couldn't have disappeared without a trace just like that, there had to be something he was missing, a sign a footprint, a broken twig SOMETHING. To point him in the right direction there were no beasts he could communicate with as she had killed them all along the way. "smart. She doesn't want to be found." he mutters under his breath. Nearby, leaning against a naturally formed rock pillar, Nerco saw the whole scene unfold "Gaile, oh god... Thaeon... Onnen! No!" She cried out in a hushed whisper as the tears rolled down her cheeks but then she saw it "What is he?-" She wondered to herself as the transformed Gaile bent over Onnen's downed form and tucked three blood vials into her hand wrapped in a piece of parchment. She couldn't make out Gaile's hastily scrawled message written with one of his claws from his own blood. But given the context of his actions it likely said one single word "Sorry." Seeing his actions she ducked back into her hiding place and noticed a figure standing in the shadowed corner of the small alcove she was taking cover in.

"Brilliant choice of location, you hide in the most obvious of places but you are too emotional toward Gaile, you forget your own surroundings and safety, that could get you killed or captured." Nerco narrowed her eyes into a dangerous glare. "Identify yourself." She commanded the unknown individual, her hand resting on the grip of her Rakuyo ready to draw it into action at a moments notice. He raises his hands not wanting to fight "Easy there I'm not trying to start a fight My name is Jonathan I'm a very old acquaintance of Gaile." hearing this she lowers her guard. "I see, my apologies." She says releasing her hold on the sword at her side relaxing her shoulders, her glare softening.

The shadowed man, Jonathon lets out a low but dark chuckle "No harm done young miss." as he steps into the light he's wearing a knight's helmet with elegant engravings on it and the graven and ultimately terrifying image of a human skull engraved deeper into the polished silver surface. "T..T-That Design... You're from... Cainhurst!" Nerco exclaimed in the same hushed whisper, hand tightening on her Rakuyo once more a genuine expression of fear present in her eyes knowing that she was face to face with a resurrected Bloody Crow of Cainhurst. "And I mean you no harm." He said calmly, "If I had really wanted you dead I would have killed you fifteen minutes ago when you first hid in here." He reached into the confines of his coat and procured 5 vials of blue elixir and 3 throwing knives slathered in a thick blue solution "The knives are coated in a potent tranquilizer... in case you wanted to ask. Only use them when you run out of elixir or if he finds you while your hidden" She looked at him with a puzzled expression "Why am I helping you?" He answered before she could ask. "Simple, I'm not." He said with hardened orange eyes that danced like fire when she saw them in the ports of his helmet. "Gaile and I have a score to settle and I'd rather do it as equals." She stared at his eyes "Your eyes..." She trailed off. "What about them, Something the matter?" He asked quickly and without emotion before spinning on his heel and tossing a throwing knife into the head of a Silverbeast that had stumbled upon them dead before it had time to react it fell to the floor in a heap Jonathon quickly took and extinguished the torch it was carrying so not to draw Gaile's unwanted attention. "They look like they're on fire... Its ...mesmerizing." He responded by lowering the visor on his helmet blocking the view from her side "No disrespect intended young miss, but I cant have you getting hypnotized by my eyes right now." He said snapping his gloved fingers in front of her a few times getting her attention "I'm awake what?" She said smacking his hand away "What was that?" She asked with a glare.

"Accidental hypnosis on my part unfortunately its why Vilebloods keep their eyes hidden most of the time whether behind shades, or something else-" He began to explain before Nerco added "Or in your case, the helmet." At this he nodded. "Exactly. This has been a lovely chat miss...-" He was at a loss as he didn't know her name until that moment "Nerco, my name is Nerco." She said curtly with a nod "Nerco. As I said just now this has been a delightful chat but I must take my leave eventually he's bound to look in here and I don't want to be here when he does and I doubt you do either." He said as he procured a sixth vial of Blue Elixir and downed its contents before vanishing almost instantly "We'll be in touch. Oh, and tell Gaile I said hello." He said flashing a fanged smirk as he faded into complete invisibility and walked out of the cave taking an opportunity to mess with Gaile he drew his newly acquired Albrecht Repeater customized with silver inlaid engravings and a twelve inch barrel with pearl grips and fired a shot past his head before speeding off around the hill taking that as a cue Nerco grabbed the supplies and downed the first Elixir waiting for it to begin taking effect as her body began to fade out to turn invisible she dashed out of the small cavernous alcove catching Gaile's attention but not long enough that he could give chase "Nerco!" He roared in a deeper pitch of his usually warm voice, it wasn't him at all, but it still tore at her heart to run from him like this. She knew what he wanted he wasn't after blood... He was after her, and he would take down whatever stood between him and his prize, be it friend or foe. Erecting a barrier of fire that she knew he would recognize she continued to run buying herself more time as the barrier would eventually burn itself out and he would give chase with the wind having given blown through her hair, giving him a faint scent to follow. "Soon Nerco." He muttered standing at the edge of the barrier. "Soon..."

 **Warning : Lemon : Contains Oviposition, Don't Judge me I like lots of different kinks :**

Elsewhere, Onnen's eyes shot open as she felt weight on her wrists and thighs. Looking up she saw the most obscure creature imaginable, reminiscent of the Cainhurst Blood Lickers in shape but instead of an abdominal sac filled with blood it was filled with eggs, translucent yellowish eggs. Each one about the size of a small orange, between its legs were three sphincters two of them were likely for when it needed to relieve itself, the other one... she an idea of what it was for, and she didn't like it one bit. The thing had no eyes on its face but somehow she knew it was looking at her. She had wanted to move, to throw it off her but she couldn't because of what that bastard Gaile did to her, and she didn't have the energy to simply burn the little pest and be done with it. This thing, whatever it was looked small and weak, little did she know, appearances are very deceiving and it was anything but.. With a high pitched screech the beak or what had originally looked like one parted into eight long finger like mandibles each ending with a single claw like hook its mouth was reminiscent of a woman's labia which cause her to open her mouth in disgust giving the creature the opening it needed as a long tentacle of a proboscis shot out of its mouth and into hers catching her wide eyes with surprise as it went down her throat into her lungs pumping them both with very rich oxygen. As she inhaled the stuff being pumped into her lungs her world began to spin and swirl and as a secondary effect her loins began to soak themselves as her juices began to flow. Looking down at the feeling she tried to close her legs but the weight the little bastard was exerting on them prevented her from doing so he whole body was numb and she couldn't move so the creature began to remove her armor, much less complex than Nerco's.

Her's was a traditional Keeper's Bone Ash Cuirass revealing that she was nude underneath her armor. This greatly excited the small creature as it didn't have to do much to carry on it's generation. Taking off the armor on her leggings she left her stockings intact and simply parted her undergarments to the side as it began to massage and rub her womanhood sticking in one finger while the other teased her clit and the other two spread her lips causing her to blush madly and moan throatily due to the proboscis in her throat. Withdrawing its fingers and hand she let out a whine as another proboscis slithered out of its mouth making her wonder to herself "just how many of those damn things is it packing in there? I honestly wouldn't be surprised if it could just grow them on command... at this point I don't even care I just want it to fuck me and get it over with!" Her thoughts were stopped dead when the second tentacle slid home into her womanhood pumping itself in and out harder and then softer never letting her wonder what it was going to do next after about thirty minutes its thrusting picked up speed, her moans becoming more intense as every thrust got progressively harder until the final hardest thrust which pushed her over the edge making her cum the proboscis had pushed into her womb as a bulge began to travel from its mouth gaining is size as it did so her eyes getting wider as it got closer to her womanhood. At first she thought it wouldn't go in but then she felt the white heat unload inside of her as the massive load of its hot seed was spread in her infertile womb the muscular proboscis withdrawn from her folds in a swift motion causing her to moan one last time as it slid back into its mouth she noticed the tip was flared as if to keep it inside her womb. She wondered if thing that would lay those eggs was like that too as another blush crept up on her face. She didn't have to wonder for long as the sphincter began to dilate and the ovipositer slid out in into view and began to prod at her womanhood its blunt head not enough to part her folds and so two smaller tentacles came out as well winding around the larger shaft in a double helix spreading her open the ovipositer gave one small push and was in. It slid into her tight, folds kissing her womb, expecting it to start pumping eggs into her she waited cut instead it retracted slightly, pulling back maybe two inches and thrusted back in, earning a moan from Onnen, satisfied with the result it repeated the action, thrusting the ovipositer fucking her with the thicker organ giving her pleasure and at the same time supplying her with the oxygen that was keeping her alive it had no problem keeping the woman alive to do this it would continue to supply the oxygen until the eggs hatched and exited her birth canal all sixty-eight of them. For hours this continued it pleasured her it had grown a very small proboscis which had penetrated her urethra to drain her bladder so that they didn't have to stop as the creature would be able to process the urine for fluids. Feeling her insides coiling up Onnen's moans became more intense and her flow of juices became slicker the creature knew it was getting closer to the right time.

Implant her too soon and she would suffer for it, miss your chance and you wouldn't get another. You had to do it at the exact right moment and hers was coming up. It increased its speed and the intensity of the thrusts harder and harder until it felt the Keeper's folds clamp down at the height of her ecstasy, now was the time as eggs started to leave the sac and travel through the ovipositer it pulled back for a thrust and as an egg was about to pop out of it it thrust in pushing it through the walls of her cervix into her womb earning a wide eyed gasp from Onnen it did this only once as it then held the ovipositer opening flush with her dilated cervix as egg after egg was pushed into her womb Onnen was thankful that the eggs were small at least so that she would be able to hold all of them inside of her cause if she knew these sorts of creatures at all this thing wasn't coming out of her until all of the eggs had been deposited safely inside of her a blush crept up on her face when she thought about it, but it felt amazing. Either that or the oxygen this thing was giving her was still interfering with her decision making.

 **Lemon End**

It had been about thirty minutes later that the last egg had passed through the ovipositer into her womb and she still had room to spare there was a barely noticeable bulge on her abdomen, regaining movement in her right arm she injected the three blood vials she had felt clutched in her hand during the whole event. The creature sensed her lung repairing itself and withdrew its proboscis, no longer needing to supply her with air. To keep her stable and alive. Drawing in a long gasp of clean air to clear her head Onnen's eyes shot wide open looking at thing thing perched on her slightly bloated abdomen glaring at the thing she knocked it to the side with a hard back hand she winced slightly feeling the ovipositer move inside her focusing her attention on the thing organ inside of her she took hold of it and wrenched it from her loins with a single tug drawing both a mixed grunt and moan from her as the flared tip brushed her exposed and still sensitive clitoris. Glaring at the foul little beast she snapped her fingers as the small thing was engulfed in inextinguishable black flames it skittered about writhing in agony as it was unable to control its muscle contractions as its many proboscis shot out of its mouth flailing about the large ovipositer withered away into ash faster than the rest of it as that was the source of her current rage. "Vermin writhe and squirm you vile lout." She said as the vile little thing burned away leaving nothing but bones and a pool of ash and embers. "That takes care of that" She started to say, but then she felt it. A heartbeat, and then another, but it wasn't her own. "Oh god, the eggs... I thought I was dreaming about that part..." She nearly screamed when she felt a hand on her shoulder "Easy! Onnen! Its just me! Its just... me." Thaeon said as she crashed in to him her head buried in his chest, wait a minute was she... crying Onnen? The Oldest living Keeper around crying like this? "Hey hey, what happened Onnen? What's wrong" She wiped the tears from her eyes "where... where the hell were you Thaeon?" She asked in a low tone. "Oh, I'm sorry but did you not see Gaile knock the absolute fuck out of me? I'm sorry for not having your back but don't bite my head off for it, Jesus." "If you had any idea what I'd just been through for the past four hours you wouldn't cop an attitude with me Thaeon." She said with a hardened glare. "Try being the mother of children that aren't even yours Thaeon." She said as the tears began to roll down her face again. Hearing this Thaeon stared at her wide eyed "What. Are you shitting me?!" She shook her head "No some kind of parasitic offshoot of the Blood Lickers from Cainhurst" She said motioning for him to follow her as she lead him to the burnt remains of the creature. "Gaile punctured one of my lungs with one of his attacks trying to pursue Nerco but he also left me three blood vials to heal myself when I came to I was barely able to breathe and this thing was weighing me down when I came to." She said pointing her Yasutsuna at the creatures remains. "Well It's dead now that's for sure." Thaeon said as he delivered a curb stomp to the remains. "The problem, Thaeon is that I don't know the gestation time for these eggs." They were alerted to movement behind them as a figure faded into view as he walked out from behind some rocks "There is no gestation time, they have to be fertilized by an outside force. Sorry to say but those are going to be in there for a while unless you get the fertilized by something or someone." Onnen and Thaeon both looked horrified "First thing, Who are you?" Thaeon asked. "Second, how do you know so much about what happened to me?" Onnen asked right after him. My name is Jonathon M. Link, Knight of Castle Cainhurst. He said with a deeply respectful bow. Second, that thing was a parasitic offshoot like you thought and I was tasked with killing it by Queen Annallise but it would seem you beat me to it. But it seems to have impregnated you with it's brood and the only way those eggs are coming out after feeding on the protein cocktail it shot into your womb before pumping the eggs into you is by fertilization, they have to be destroyed. "I couldn't agree more, but your insane if you think I'm just going to let you fuck me just to fertilize these things inside me so you can destroy them. We'll fight you off if we have to." They both said together as they drew their respective swords. Jonathon, The Bloody Crow let out a dark laugh as he drew his Chikage "I wouldn't have it any other way."

To be continued in Chapter 8


	8. Chapter 8

The Bloody Crow dashed forward drawing his Chikage from its scabbard in a shower of blood grasping its hilt with both hands wincing as he felt the poison of the stagnant blood inside the scabbard enter his veins but this only served to push him on as he swung the blade at the male keeper harder and faster the pain driving him. Thaeon on the other hand had yet to dray his sword merely knocking the sword away with simple backhands or catching it. Serving to infuriate the aristocratic vampire "Stop fooling around and draw your sword you goddamn idiot. I tire of this nonsense!" He said flatly, backstepping as he flicked the tainted blood from his sword drawing his customized Albrecht Repeater. "Whats the matter Vileblood? Does my fighting style annoy you? Well too damn bad. Its how I fight. Deal with it." Thaeon said falling into a more advanced stance associated with the Iiado fighting style. "You want her? Come and get her, and don't bother trying to shoot me. I can cut your bullets in half in this stance." Thaeon said flashing a toothy grin revealing that each of his front teeth were filed down to sharpened edge. This caused The Bloody Crow to growl in anger revealing two sets of inward curving fangs two that formed from his canines and two new ones that grew in. "Heh Onnen I think I pissed him o-" he didn't get to finish his sentence at The Crow appeared in front of him in a flash of static "Cut this in half, You cocky whelp!" He said as he drove his hand into Thaeon's chest using it to hold him in place as he leveled the muzzle of his pistol on Thaeon's forehead "Any last words? Whelp." He said as he began to squeeze the trigger to the horror of Onnen "Thaeon NO!" Onnen screamed out running toward them but she stopped as she felt a roiling force in her abdomen causing her to fall to her knees. "Ugh, oh god what?" This caused The Crow to divert his attention to Onnen who was doubled over clutching her abdomen he wrenched his hand free of Thaeon's shoulder dropping him to the ground with an unceremonious thud. "I guess it managed to fertilize the eggs itself before you killed it, from what we understand of this offshoot you don't deliver live young rather you deliver the eggs just as their ready to hatch. Although, they wont hatch until all of them have been delivered, I will assist you only so that this vile offshoot will be completely eradicated." The Crow stated with an almost fanatical devotion to his cause.

 **I wouldn't exactly call this a Lemon but It's explicit so whatever.**

She knew there were a lot of eggs inside of her and as he lifted her mantle he saw the bulge in her abdomen and raised his eyebrow "Well, you must've enjoyed yourself," He said with a dark chuckle which earned him a glare from her. "You try fighting off something like this when you have a punctured lung. It kept me alive for a price. I can't exactly complain about my circumstances." She said as another contraction rocked her body preparing her to give birth. "You won't want this in the way." He said as he pulled down her undergarments. "You're also going to want to be wet, as the eggs are small going in but they do grow somewhat as they gestate in the womb" He said as he began to stroke her Clitoris exciting the small bundle of nerves making her moan he soon got into a rhythm attacking the small nub as the waves contractions came and went. Soon enough a small trickle of her juices began to run from her folds which he coated his index and middle fingers in making sure they were well lubricated before he inserted his index finger thrusting it in and out, repeating the action making her juices flow faster he removed the finger and inserted both and began thrusting them inside of her bending them upward hitting the roof of her inner walls, making her juices gush out of her like a waterfall he felt he muscles contracting like a coiled spring as he continued his assistance in helping Onnen deliver the eggs implanted inside of her by the Blood Licker offshoot. Feeling her muscled walls clamp down on his fingers he removed them as a massive contraction rocked her body as the eggs began to slide past her fully dilated cervix and out of her birth canal landing in a pile between her legs. As the twenty-seventh egg slid out of her it triggered another orgasm and another clutch of eggs sliding out of her "Augh! oh god there's no end to them!" She said with moan as she fell backward holding on to her shrinking abdomen feeling the eggs inside continuing to slip out of her womb down her birth canal and landing on the pile between her legs one after another, she would never admit it but it felt amazing and she'd let that thing impregnate her again and again if it meant she could feel this pleasure again. After another thirty minutes of laying down and pushing the last of the remaining eggs had been pushed out of her and the The Crow responded with a curt nod and smashing a lit Molotov Cocktail on the pile of sixty-eight eggs hearing the bastard offspring squirm, writhe and squeal as they burned in the fire. "Vermin writhe and squirm, you little bastards." The Crow said with no emotion as he stood upright turning his back on Onnen's exhausted form.

 **Lemonish Thing End**

Catching her breath and pulling her underwear back up she sorted herself back up and turned to face The Crow "Well... that was... Thank you." She said still blushing from the event "Don't thank me." He said, I was merely doing my duty as ordered by my Queen, Annalise. Seeing Gaile on the horizon Onnen took a defensive stance while The Crow grabbed another Blue Elixir Downing it to hide himself "Not Yet Gaile." He muttered as he walked over to the downed Thaeon, "Sorry." he muttered retrieving a blood vial and slamming it into his thigh healing the wound he had inflicted. "I hope you two understand that I was never here." He said walking away as the Elixir took complete effect and he vanished. Gaile came down toward the two over the horizon his eyes were notably softer "You seem to have calmed down." Onnen said in her usual calm demeanor to which Gaile nodded, unable to meet her gaze. "Yes, I have... considerably, ...I Sorry..." He said motioning at the tear in her cuirass "Its fine, you have nothing to be sorry for. You weren't in your right mind. If anything, you should apologize to Nerco when you see her you probably hurt her more than you hurt me." At this his gaze lowered. "I know." If she's abandoned me somewhere out there I don't blame her one bit. He said "Shut up you." He heard a familiar voice speak out from somewhere behind him. "Nerco? I hear you... but I don't see you." He said confused then it clicked. "You're still hidden by the Blue Elixir." He said with a smirk "No, I'm not actually. I'm just not coming out until that pervert Thaeon leaves." She said from her hiding spot. "I can take care of that Nerco." Onnen said, looking at Thaeon with a sweet smile that both Thaeon and Gaile only saw malice in. "Onnen please no..." Thaeon begged his hands raised in surrender. "Nothing personal." She said, the smile still present on her face as she caught him in the stomach with a bone-shattering roundhouse kick, which made him double over into unconsciousness. "I'll take care of him... He's going to be pissed as hell when he wakes up. You have her to focus on." Onnen said with a wink, finally giving Gaile her blessing, having looked after Nerco as a little sister of sorts ever since they were children.

Drawing her sword she swung it at nothing as a rift opened on the edge of the darkness within he saw the familiar stone floor of Ailing Loran. "You guys were never far away were you?" He asked. "Actually... Its a bit more complicated than that... and Nerco can explain it far better than I can, I'm more of a fighter." She said as she dragged the unconscious Thaeon into the rift, and with a wave of her hand it closed behind her "Goodbye you two..." She said just before the rift sealed completely. Turning around Gaile saw Nerco fade into view as the effects of her last Blue Elixir expired she was completely nude using one hand to cover her womanhood and the other to cover her breasts she was blushing madly "Will you please stop staring its embarrassing!" She said as her blush deepened he took several steps toward her, his canine member sliding out of its sheath between his legs fully erect "Well, at least your honest." She said he took another step toward her and picked her up. "We aren't seriously going to do this here are we?" She asked him feeling his erect member rubbing her sliding between her legs rubbing her outer lips. "We can go wherever you want to." he said Kissing her on the forehead. "Then let's go somewhere a bit more private." She said as he bent down to pick her up Carrying her bridal style making her blush even more "W-Why are you carrying me like this?" She asked as she snaked her arms around his neck for some extra support. "Because your my mate and I love you." He said in a plain deadpan make her blush deepen "You see the light in that cave? That's where I set up camp for myself, it looks defenseless but I had defenses in place in case you found me." She said piquing his curiosity "Like what?" He asked. With a snap of her fingers all the defenses activated at once. A mine field of fire pillars, fire walls at the entrancing that would have roasted him if he tried to come in, her hounds were inside the cave, asleep but she dismissed them. "Holy shit Nerco, all that to keep me out?" She looked up at him feeling slightly ashamed.

"I was afraid, I didn't know what else to do but then I realized it wasn't blood you wanted" she said with a smile as she pecked him on the lips "it was me, although your methods were a bit extreme. And because of that Onnen suffered." She said. "Wait, I gave her vials to heal." He said. "That's not what I meant, some kind of parasitic Blood Licker got a hold of her while she was recovering from the attack you hit her with which punctured one of her lungs Gaile!" She yelled at him. "Oh god..." He muttered. "Beak for a face? Eggs in the abdominal sac instead of blood?" She blinked. "Yeah... that's exactly what it looked like..." She said calming down "Cainhurst Breeders, an offshoot mutation of the normal Blood Lickers. they mass produce by implanting their eggs in the wombs of their victims, often staying with them until the eggs have gestated and are delivered the larger the breeder the more eggs it can implant how big was it?" He asked, Nerco thought about it for a moment from what Onnen had told her, "it was about the size of a small dog" She said. "Small dog, that can mean that it could have implanted her with roughly thirty to sixty eggs" He said knowingly. "Let me stop you there Gaile, Do you know a man named Jonathan?" She asked him. "I knew a Bloody Crow named Jon. That you know I tore limb from limb, because I told you the story." He said as his gaze hardened. "Yeah? Well I've run into him on more than one occasion in fact he's the one who gave me the Blue Elixir's he also gave me these Tranq Knives." She said handing him the warped throwing knives slathered in the blue tranquilizer. "That can't be..." Gaile said almost soullessly as his arms dropped from around Nerco's slender form. "I wish I was lying believe me."

Nerco said looking at Gaile's distraught expression. "Hey, don't worry, if anything I'm just glad he didn't hurt you." Gaile said as he hugged her close to him, kissing her on the forehead as he usually did to calm her. Before grabbing one of the sheathed throwing knives Jon had given her and throwing it somewhere to the East earning a distant, dark chuckle that both Gaile and Nerco Recognized, as The Bloody Crow of Cainhurst walked up the hill tranquilizer coated knife dug deep into his shoulder "Now, that wasn't very nice Gaile after the trouble I went to to keep your woman safe from you, and THIS is how you repay me!?" he shouted gesturing to the knife buried in his shoulder mere inches from his heart, as he drew his Albrecht Repeater and fired at Gaile, again and again until his cylinder ran dry. "Well, now that I have your attention." Gaile said in a sarcastic tone that only served to irritate the aristocratic vampire further than the knife buried in his shoulder already had. "But I have to ask how did you come back? You slimy, blood sucking bag of bones." Gaile shouted angrily at The Bloody Crow as he dashed forward grabbing the hilt of Nerco's sheathed Rakuyo catching her by surprise that he would even use a weapon while transformed thinking that he would want the satisfaction of tearing into him with his claws then the scent hit her when The Crow drew his Chikage, the blood that began to crystallize on its edge reeked of filth and decay "Of course... the blood on his sword... its poisoned." She thought to herself as she watches the two fight. Blades clashing in repeat showers of sparks and the occasional splash of blood when one would hit the other unbeknownst to The Crow however, Gaile had a strong resistance to poison. "Poison? I thought you were smarter than this Jon, I'm too strong for petty shit like that to work!" Gaile said as he dashed forward catching Jon in the side with Nerco's Rakuyo scoring a hit that under normal circumstances would have killed Jon but since he was a Vileblood he could shrug it off like it was a normal injury but only for so long, not even the ageless Vilebloods can stand up to mortal wounds forever. "How are you holding up Jon?" Gaile asked with mock concern. When he suddenly made use of one of his trump cards raising his hand to the sky clutching a worn yellow bone, his body was enveloped in clouds of yellow dust and smoke.

"You Defile Maria's Grave just to garner a small taste of The Quickening, Have you no respect for the dead Jon? After all she was a distant relative of your Queen. How do you think She would feel if she were to find out about this?" Gaile said knowingly with a smirk when once confident Crow's skin paled and his expression turned horrified "She'd have my head..." He muttered under his breath. "I'll have it first Jon." Gaile said as he dashed forward but stopped when The Crow dropped his weapon to his side and closed his eyes in resignation but not in time to stop his attack it cut deep into his chest starting from his left shoulder and exiting at his right waist having cut nearly all the way through him, with a groan of pain the vampiric knight fell backwards looking up at Gaile and then to his left as a now clothed Nerco walked toward him "Damn it all, I never thought It was possible to be defeated by a Hunter turned to a Beast, ...Its completely ludicrous..." He said with pained gasps between his sentences and a surprised grunt as Nerco's boot clad foot slammed his head into the rocky ground with an audible thud and crack, as she charged up an extremely powerful spell one that wasn't her usual fire but rather was energy, pale blue energy forming in a small sphere at the tip of of her index finger. "I should have known, there'd be no mercy." Jon stated looking up at her out of the corner of his eyes his helmet being the only thing that stopped her stomp from outright crushing his skull. "So typical of a Keeper of the Old Lords." this caused the sphere to flicker for a moment as her conscience faltered "Go ahead, after all I lost to you, my life no longer has any meaning I can never return to Cainhurst with honor." He said as he reached up his repeater with one last round loaded into the cylinder hammer cocked back aimed at Nerco. "Do it, finish me or I will finish you." Needing no further encouragement. she unleashed the attack as a charged beam of pure energy was unleashed upon Jon's dying form, killing him for the second time, and showing Gaile that Nerco has more than just fire at her disposal and that she is far stronger than she looks. "Now I see why the prophecy is about you."Gaile said hugging her around the waist from behind. "And why those bastards want us to conceive so badly." At the notion Nerco shivered, not from cold as her bone ash armor kept her warm regardless of outside temperatures despite its withered appearance.

"I don't want to be mother to a child I wont get to have a part in the life of Gaile I already said this once before." She sighed "I understand what you're saying even before you say it, you're a very powerful Hunter, and an even stronger Beast, and while I'm not physically the strongest Keeper, when it comes to the arcane no one can match me. A child between us would inherit the best of our strengths and that's exactly what the Great Ones want." She said turning around to face him noticing his saddened expression before he looked up at her his expression unreadable. "You know just as well as I what that damned fanatic said before he got crushed by the Amygdala." Gaile said in a venomous tone that Nerco wasn't expecting. "I don't matter in this prophecy Nerco, any beast will do, and knowing The Choir and their love for experimentation they've more than likely spliced together something that can guarantee that you'll get pregnant." He continued knowing that the words we're likely hurting her to some extent but he had to get the message across. "To them you're just the womb that will birth a new Great One, they don't care about your physical or mental well being and would just as well throw you to more ravenous beasts when your part is done." He finished as another harsh slap met him in the same exact place as the last one the claws of her gloves raking his cheek once again drawing blood in a small trickle. Her shoulders were shaking and then he noticed it, light sobs human ears wouldn't have been able to hear them. Gaile was at a loss he knew what he had said was going to hurt but he would never have dreamed it would hurt her this much. "Why...?" She said in a low tone through her sobbing "Why did it have to be me!?" she yelled out as an aura of flames flared around her form forcing Gaile to back away or be burned by the intense heat but he wasn't quick enough as a burst of fire erupted catching him on the arm. Her anger subsided the instant she saw Gaile recoil away from the burst of fire "Oh god... Gaile I'm so sorry I didn't mean to do-" her apology was silenced before she could finish it by a deep and passionate kiss from Gaile, the burn on his arm ignored as her arms snaked around his neck.

Breaking for air she took the chance to finish speaking as she didn't know if she would get another opportunity. "-I didn't mean to do that Gaile I'm so sorry..." She said as tears rolled down her cheeks looking at the terrible burn on his arm. "This is nothing, and you have nothing to be sorry for." He said as he kissed her forehead, taking his hands in her's she lead him back up the hill to her camp. "Nerco are you absolutely sure about this?" Gaile asked seriously, she looked at him over her shoulder "Yes I'm sure, no matter how bleak things look for us with the damnable prophecy over our heads, there is still hope." She said letting go of his hands and turning to face him "Ebrietas' offer still stands, Gaile." She said walking backward toward the camp site and he couldn't help but smile at her "She is too cute sometimes and she doesn't even realize it." Gaile thought to himself as he followed her up the hill. Walking inside the small fire lit cavern he saw Nerco seated and waiting patiently for Gaile to arrive only for her Hounds to bar his path growling at him "That's enough out of you two." She said as the two massive dogs dissolved into ash and embers with a wave of her hand. "Well? What are you waiting for Gaile?" She said as she began to disrobe unbuckling the clasps on her mantle letting it fall away and drop to her feet she stepped over the piece of clothing walking slowly toward Gaile once again taking his hands in hers and leading him deeper into the cavern that she had set up her camp in.

To be continued in CH9


	9. Chapter 9

**I should warn everyone that this chapter is a Lemon and as such contains explicit sexual content. As such it is not suitable for minors, You have been warned.  
**

The small chamber in the back of the cave looked to have been inhabited at one point or another as various furs and blankets were scattered around the area as Gaile and Nerco rolled around the small chamber in a tangle of limbs, each lost in a storm of passion for the other. Gaile was trailing kisses down Nerco's neck and along her arms stopping at the top of her hand the small show making her blush deeply, looking down she saw Gaile's beasthood slide out of its sheath hard as a rock and slightly larger than it was when last she saw and felt it in Old Yharnam.

"Not yet." Gaile muttered under his breath as he returned to his current task engaging Nerco in a passionate kiss their tongues dancing around one another battling for supremacy in the throes of their passion, breaking for air he began to trail kisses down her neck once again this time along her collarbone stopping at her breasts, needing no encouragement nor permission from her he started to massage and fondle them using his elongated claws on his thumbs to tease her sensitive nipples which earned light moans and squeaks of pleasure from her. "Mmmmmh~ Don't- Haah S-stop..." lifting one of his hands up off of her breast much to her displeasure she was silenced as he took her right breast in his mouth sucking on the nipple and teasing it with his tongue making her back arch in ecstasy stopping his efforts he returned his hands to her breasts as he planted a light kiss on her neck seemingly nibbling on her with his lips until they parted to reveal his elongated canines. "Gaile what are you doi-" She was cut off mid sentence as a sharp pain made itself known on her neck he had bitten her soon after the pain faded away and became quite a pleasurable experience feeling his tongue running along her neck lapping at the small trickle of blood that was oozing out around his canines "Ahhm... I didn't think you'd feed on me like this." she said as her blush deepened. Reaching her feet forward she grasped hold of his beasthood making him stop and look down. "Well, that got your attention didn't it?" Nerco said as she began to stroke up and down on his member making him breathe out heavily enjoying the feeling he began to subconsciously thrust his hips with her stroking, his breathing becoming more ragged and beast-like as his thrusting started becoming harder as she continued to pleasure him, small streams of pre cum began to drip from his throbbing member and had started to pool under Nerco's feet it also acted as a lubricant of sorts as the stuff got coated on him it only made her foot job feel that much more amazing "Nerco... I'm gonna-" He didn't finish his sentence as streams of white hot cum painted her feet and legs. Nerco looked with a wide eyed expression at the sheer amount he let out but just then a devious thought entered her head as she eyed the knot that had formed at the base of his sheathe "Now its your turn Gaile." She said as she spread open her lower lips beckoning him closer he began to lick at her flower teasing her exposed clitoris with the tip of his tongue and occasionally diving into her depths only to just as quickly retreat which both annoyed her and made her want more as her juices began to flow. Seeing her chance she grabbed hold of his member an began to tease around the knot stroking it with her thumb and index fingers as he continued to attack her folds not wanting to be outdone by his mate he drove his tongue deep into her folds and began to tease at the entrance to her womb flicking it with the tip of his tongue, and making her gasp and in pleasure.

Unable to contain himself no longer he pushed his tongue deeper, through her cervix and into her womb and like in Old Yharnam he prodded around her womb with it lapping at her deepest walls with his tongue as her core began to build up within, sensing her oncoming orgasm he began to slowly, almost tortuously withdraw his tongue, its rich texture driving her ever closer to the edge until without warning he darted it back in with unexpected speed pushing her completely over the edge of ecstasy as her walls clamped down on his tongue and her nectar gushed into his waiting mouth. Wanting to tease her just a little bit more he took her still sensitive clitoris in his mouth and began to suck on the small bead causing her back to arch once again as she let out an unexpected squeal of pleasure "Oh, enough of the foreplay Gaile!" She whined between gasps and moans. Releasing the tiny bundle of nerves he adjusted his position and began to grind his member against her outer lips getting it wet with her juices when he suddenly doubled over and curled up into a slightly looser form of the fetal position whimpering as the aura of the Beast's Embrace began to flare up around him his body shifting even more than it already had she watched as he fully transformed into a Lycanthrope before her eyes after the change was complete he lay there curled up still letting out pained whimpers until he stood upright looking at her with the same tender love in his eyes he let out a low howl before he took his previous position with his change came an increase in height core temperature and muscle mass as well as an increase in length and girth of his already large member placing his hands on her lower hips he raised her up and laid her down again on the heavier furs in the cave pressing the tip of his beastly phallus to the entrance of her womanhood now slick with her juices and his saliva he looked up at her waiting for her to give him the okay she looked genuinely afraid of his increase in size and he didn't blame her one bit. "Its alright Gaile... go ahead you've waited this long just be gentle with me I'm not used to something that big... not yet at least." She said as her blush returned with a vengeance. Needing no further encouragement from her Gaile pressed his tip against her entranced ever so slightly until it slipped in, she winced at the feeling of fullness just from the tip "There's no way all of this is going to fit inside of me... Gaile there no possible way." feeling her reluctance he gave her a look that said "Trust me." and gave her a few licks on the her right cheek giving him a nod he pushed himself deeper into her folds and to her surprise he had completely sheathed himself within her folds with little room to spare, his tip prodding her cervix. He dare not move as she was still adjusting to his girth the length wasn't a problem for her at all as she knew what to expect from the first time in Old Yharnam. "I'm alright Gaile, I know you're holding yourself back for my benefit. You can start moving, slowly though." She said as she stared into his luminous golden eyes which fit him better in this form then they did as a human. With a lick to her cheek he began to slowly withdraw his member until about an inch and a half of it was still inside of her and then he pushed it back in slowly as to allow her to adjust to him while he was moving the first few thrusts hurt a little but it was nothing she couldn't tolerate soon enough she began to enjoy it as the pain faded to pleasure his thrusting got faster but still gentle causing her to smile up at him "Always looking out for me aren't you Gaile" She said between moans and gasps "I'm used to your size now you don't have to hold back anymore." Despite her words of encouragement he continued with his current pace which was enjoyable for her she was loving every second of it but at this rate he would never reach his climax and then it hit her "You're holding back because you want me to enjoy myself right?" at this he let out a breath through his nose that hit her face blowing her bangs to the sides "I'll take that as a yes."

She said with a giggle before she used a gravity charm to pull Gaile off his feet landing on his stomach she lined herself up with his member and slowly dropped down onto it and began bobbing up and down on it riding him vigorously moaning and panting heavily as the increase in activity caused her to break into a sweat having had enough of this Gaile rolled the two of them over so that he was on top ad resumed his thrusting this time he wasn't holding back and she was loving every second of it "Haahn~ don't stop Gaile!" She screamed out as he pounded folds her his member kissing her womb with every thrust his knot had begun to form again as his member became even harder as more blood rushed to it to form the bulbous organ feeling his limit coming on fast he picked up his pace, thrusting harder and faster hitting her inner depths, she was ready for it when he started to pulled his member out of her not having any of it she suddenly wrapped her legs up around Gaile's waist, preventing him from pulling out and keeping him buried in her depths, surprising him. "Inside, Gaile... Inside." She said as he picked up his pace once more his breaths low and ragged like before signalling that his climax was inevitable. His thrusting was fast and hard at this point and she could feel his knot pressing against her entrance with every thrust each time it went inside of her just a little further until with one final thrust and a mixed roar and growl the bulbous plug like organ popped inside of unable to hold all of his length at bay her cervix parted his head pushed through into her womb causing her back to arch for a third time as a second orgasm rocked her body her folds clamped down on him like a vice as he emptied himself inside of her. There was a noticeable bulge on her abdomen from their intimacy she was filled to the brim with his bestial seed and the heat of it alone drove her into a third orgasm just as it was that night in Old Yharnam. "Haahn... Hahn.. Haah... Gaile... I love you so much..." She said with heavy breaths and lidded eyes as sleep began to overtake her their legs intertwined with his member still knotted inside of her he nuzzled his snout in the crook of her neck as they curled up together and let sleep take them both.

A few hours later Gaile's golden eyes shot open, he was hungry he needed to hunt but then the problem for him arose he had slept for gods know how many hours and he was still tied with his mate, his lover, Nerco. He didn't want to wake her as she was sleeping so peacefully but sometimes his needs came first if he went long enough without food he would without a doubt turn on those he held most dear and he'd die before he did that to her. With a gentle tugging of his hips and a few light moans from Nerco, his knot slid out of her with a popping sound slowly he withdrew his member as not to wake her but little did he know it was far to late for that, she woke up the moment the feeling of fullness he gave her left him "...Gaile? Where are you going?" She asked as she blinked the sleep from her eyes. He motioned to his stomach and then looked out the entrance of the cave. "Ah... I get it you're going out to hunt, well... Good hunting Gaile." She said with a wink that he responded to with a nod "And come back soon... We're nowhere near done yet." She said as she spread open her lower lips once again giving him a look at her flower as his seed slowly spilled out of her and on to the rocky floor of the cave. He lingered for a moment staring into her violet eyes and then he was gone as he darted out of the cave entrance he was gone for only forty-five minutes but it seemed like forever to her as she sat there waiting for him to return and seemingly on cue he came through the entranceway of the cave drenched in what she could tell by scent was the blood of Hunters "Church Hunters?" she asked noticing the old Healing Church Pick embedded in his shoulder his response was a curt nod as he reached up grasping hold of the weapon and with a growl of pain he wrenched it from his shoulder. Seeing the bloodied spike land on the ground she grabbed hold of it and uttered a simple incantation as the weapon seemed to dissolve into ash "If you need to Gaile... you can feed on me to heal your injuries." She said as she parted her bangs on the left side of her face tucking them behind her ear exposing her neck to him fighting the urge he started to back off but he gave in and started to walk toward her kneeling down in front of her he pressed the tip of his snout to her neck before he parted his lips in a snarl and bit down only with enough force to break the skin for her it wasn't painful at all but she took small pleasure from knowing it was her blood that was healing him.

Looking at his shoulder she saw the wound was completely healed, not even a scar to show it was ever there. "Alright Gaile, that's enough..." She said trying to move away, his response was to tighten his hold on her making her wince as more blood was drawn from the light squeezing motion of his jaws "Didn't you hear me Gaile? I said that's enough." She said in a firmer tone as he continued to feed on her "I said that's enough!" She yelled at him as she hit him with a small blast of flame knocking him away from her realizing her mistake she tried to back away from him only from her to be thrown to the floor and pinned under his weight as she stared into slitted bestial eyes that weren't Gaile's she felt something blunt press against her entrance and looked down to see his member rock hard and ready to breed her she looked up at him and before she could protest he was inside of her. He didn't give her time at all but she knew to fight back now would be a fatal mistake. "What have you become Gaile..." She said with sadness as she tried to fight the pleasure she was feeling from his thrusting before long he had picked up his pace as his breathing had become more ragged she knew what was coming the other indicator was his bulbous knot slapping against her entrance with every thrust each time he got it in just a bit further, he wasn't trying to pop it in like Gaile did, he fully intended to keep fucking her like this the knot wouldn't be used to tie them together it was just added texture she was ripped from her thoughts when it finally popped inside of her only for him to immediately pull it out of her earning a squeak of pleasure from her as it was something she had never felt before, and again the knot slid into her and it was just as quickly removed she hated to admit it but it felt amazing. This type of thrusting with his knot continued for another 10 minutes as his core continued to build when he with a final thrust and a roar he popped his knot in and left it in as he emptied himself inside of her for a second time filling her womb and expanding it more as there was still some of his seed left inside from their first bout the heat was too much for her as her own body betrayed her. Her inner walls clamping down on him like a vice ensuring that they were tied together his ragged breathing came to a slow but steady calm as the hair on his body began to shed and his form became smaller he stared into her eyes and the slitted bestial pupils she saw before were gone and present once again were the gentle golden orbs of the man and beast she loved so. "Gaile? Oh gods Gaile!" she cried as she hugged him as a mix of tears, both of joy and sadness mixed, fell from her eyes and rolled down her cheeks "I thought I had lost you for good..." His response was to lick her cheek as he wasn't quite transformed back to the point that he could speak "You'll never lose me..." He finally said as he reached his human form withdrawing himself from her depth there was nothing to stop the flood of Gaile's bestial seed as it came flooding out of her as a second and third orgasm rocked her body her nectar gushing out and mixing with his seed. "You weren't very gentle you know!" she said with a mock glare as she punched him in the arm. "I can't stand..." She said as a blush dusted her cheeks "You might have to carry me for a bit." She said as her blush deepened in response he bent down and picked her up cradling her in his arms as he carried her bridal style out of the cavern "Where to?" He asked her. "Anywhere but this gods forsaken place." She said as she snaked her arms around his neck and caught him in a passionate kiss.

To be Continued in CH 10 where we get out of the nightmare frontier and head into the Safe Haven Arc


	10. Chapter 10

Gaile stood tall with Nerco cradled in his arms, he was about to walk out of the cavern when she stopped him "I think you're forgetting something Gaile..." She said jokingly thinking for a moment he realized "Yeah... We probably ought to get dressed, trouble with that is I think I shredded my clothes..." This prompted Nerco to giggle as she snapped her fingers a grey ashen fog appeared around her body and when it dissipated she was fully clothed. "One of these days you've got to show me how to do that" Gaile muttered incredulously. "I wish I could, but its something only Keepers can do." She said, pecking him on the cheek. "I really loved that jacket..." He said with a sigh "Then we'll have to pay the Amygdala back for it won't we?" She said as a wicked smirk graced her face it was a rare thing to see but when it happened it was one of the few things that could genuinely scare Gaile. "Yes, we will." He said as he set her down on the furs that they had made love on not too long ago "Huh? Gaile what are you doing?" Deciding to show her rather than answer her, he reached out and like a ripple in water the very fabric of space parted around his arm feeling what he was looking for, he procured a weathered old set of clothing bound with worn red string and tied in flamboyant bow that closely resembled what the Hunters of today wear but it looked far older. "I too have my own tricks, Nerco." He said as he began to dress himself in the garb most commonly associated with the First Hunters of Yharnam, the garb of The Old Hunters a midnight black duster coat with a blood red lining the trousers had a built in tourniquet of belts as it was a common superstition back then that the spilled blood of beasts crept up the right leg. The bracers on the gauntlets, were made of copper instead of brass as it was believed that certain metals were more effective at warding off beast blood. Seeing him fully clothed in the garb she once used to see so often brought back many old and terrible memories of the outbreak in Loran. "That Garb... brings back a lot of memories for me Gaile..." She said looking at him as he walked toward her to pick her up once again. "Some good, Some bad, ...and Many painful ones." She said sombrely, Gaile instantly regretted his choice of attire but it was all he had at the present time. "It was never my intention to stir up memories of the past... I'm sorry, Simon was right... Some secrets should have remained secrets..." Hearing the name of the hunter who saved her as a child she looked up again "You met Simon the Harrowed? But that's... How?" She asked him, clearly confused. At least she was, until he retrieved a small bottle plugged with a cork inside it was fluid meant to preserve tissue samples and there she saw it the familiar bestial eye of a hunter gone mad with bloodlust. "So you've seen the nightmare then..." She said her expression unreadable. "Yes, The Hunter's Nightmare. An inescapable hell where hunters that lose themselves to the hunt end up when they die. Trapped forever in an endless hunt for a time I thought I was the only sane one there until I met Simon."

He instantly remembered their first meeting in the Nightmare Chapel. "You're a hunter with your sanity aren't you? Must've taken a wrong turn eh?" The thin, haggard looking man asked "I am, what of it?" Gaile asked immediately suspicious of the man who let out a low chuckle "I already knew that you were the moment I saw you. I just wanted to see how you'd react, we're more alike than you might think you know." He said with another low chuckle. Much to Gaile's irritation, "Might you know where I am?" He asked "The place resembles Oedon Chapel, but I dont recall it being this desolate..." He said waiting patiently for the man to respond, if he would. "This is The Hunter's Nightmare, where Hunters end up when drunk with blood. You've seen them around I'm sure. Aimless, wandering Hunters slavering like Beasts." The man said finally after a moment of silence "This is what the poor fools have to look forward to. So, dont be brash, turn back before its too late unless you've something of an interest in nightmares?" Gaile studied the man for a moment thinking of how to respond, he was obviously a very intelligent man perhaps he should play along he thought to himself. "Nightmares are fascinating to me." Gaile replied nonchalantly. Hoping his bluff wouldn't get called. "Ahh, yes, I see you sense a secret within the Nightmare and cannot bare to leave it be. Its as if the spirit of Byrgenwerth lives on within you! Such inquisitive Hunters will relish the Nightmare." The man spoke out, his hands clasped together "But beware, secrets are secrets for a reason. And some do not wish to see them uncovered. Especially when the secrets are particularly unseemly..." The man whom he would later come to know as Simon, warned him.

Pulled from his thoughts by Nerco waving her hand in front of his face Gaile suddenly looked down at her "Huh? What? What's up I was just thinking about something..." He said sombrely as he recalled his last meeting with Simon in the Fishing Hamlet within the Nightmare. "Oh, you, ...I'm afraid I've made a botch of things... ...I can hear the bell now... ...The Beast-Hide Assassin, He's after me... ...Again and again... ...It never ends..." He choked out as he lay dying from his wounds. "...Please, I need you to do something... ...This village is the true secret. Testament to the old sins... ...It feeds this Hunter's Nightmare..." He said grabbing hold of the tail of Gaile's duster "...Please, bring to an end the horror..." He begged knowing he would soon bleed out from his wounds "...So our forefathers sinned? ...We Hunters cannot bear their weight forever..." Simon was practically in tears now as his vision began to blur and darken "...It isn't fair, it just isn't fair..." letting out his last breath his arm fell limp resting on his weapon, a long curved sword with a seam in the middle of the blade. So this was your Bow-Blade... Eh Simon? Gaile said picking the weapon up along with the key he was clutching in his other hand. "I wonder where this leads..." He thought to himself as he walked up the spiralling stairs of the lighthouse. Shaking his head to clear it of the memories that threatened to overtake him he began walking down the hill from their previous camp, turning left at a fork he noticed that a small gathering of lesser beasts had gathered around the two dead hunters eating whatever he hadn't. Deciding stealth was the order of the day he repeated the same action that had brought him the Old Hunter Garb he was currently wearing finding what he was looking for he pulled out the warped sword of Simon the Harrowed and depressed a small trigger mechanism on the handle transforming it into a very accurate strongbow pulling out an ornate arrow silver with a quicksilver arrowhead at its tip he knocked the the arrow drew it back with incredible strength and loosed the silver bolt, it flew swiftly and silently through the air at one of the beasts hitting it in the back of the head, killing it instantly the others rose up and began to look around as Gaile and Nerco relocated for another shot quietly he knocked another arrow and just as swiftly loosed it scoring three headshots in a row as the bolt punched through the heads of the first two and simply did not have the energy necessary to penetrate all the way through the skull of the third the shaft of the arrow was plainly visible sticking out of the dead beasts eye socket. With half of the gathering beasts dead the remaining ones took the hint and ran off, this Hunter, whomever they are. was very good at what they do and to attempt finding their location would be guaranteed suicide.

Watching the beasts run away with their tails tucked between their legs, Gaile stood up from his hiding spot followed by Nerco who after some rest was able to walk on her own so long as she had something to cling to. The sight of her like this told Gaile everything he needed to know about what happened during his blackout, he had assaulted Nerco. He tried to get rid of the look of self-loathing on his face but Nerco noticed it before he could. "Hey, I already forgave you for that, so stop beating yourself up. That wasn't you that attacked me in the cave, You weren't yourself Gaile." She said as she made her way over to him using the rock walls as a brace to lean on while her body recovered from the beating it had taken from their love making. "Here, hop on." He said, kneeling down. While she had the strength to move about on her own, she needed something to lean on or she was helpless despite hating that simple fact, she did as she was bid and clambered onto Gaile's back his hands coming up to hold her at the bend in the knee while she wrapped her arms around him for a grip and added support. After a while she rest her head on his shoulder and drifted off, her steady breaths in his ear both calming him and worrying him further, and while she slept Nerco was dreaming of the past, specifically her early years mere days before the outbreak in Loran there were victims of the scourge present in most of the hospital wings and some went unattended and transformed in the night, killing those in the rooms with them and doing far worse things to the women they encountered, though they're used in chalice rituals today back then the Bastards of Loran though some of them survived birth they more often then not killed their mothers during labour, and she had seen it many, many times. She remembered running through the dimly lit corridors of Loran, something was after her but she couldn't see what it was, that is until it walked into the light of one of the corridors it had freshly changed but she recognized a newborn Darkbeast when she saw one she had walked in on it, the massive thing had found a local brothel and attacked the women who lived there making a living with their bodies, some of them it killed and ate and the rest it violated, its seed festering deep in their wombs infecting their would be children with the scourge as they grew inside of their mothers she nearly screamed when it turned its focus on her a woman impaled on its beastly member screaming out fighting against it when suddenly a surge of white slurred out of her womanhood as her bloated abdomen could hold no more of the gigantic beast's foetid seed, grabbing hold of her waist it pulled her off of its knotted member and started to advance on the then fourteen year old Nerco. She did what any girl would have done, she ran for her life hoping she would find a hunter that could help her she ran through the old corridors for what felt like hours with the Abhorrent Beast hot on her trail Gaile didn't know it back then but this was the same beast he had killed before he first met Nerco seeing a haggard figure standing in some torch light in the distance she had a bit of hope as she willed herself to run the short remaining distance she made a terrible choice in her hope as the figure turned around to reveal a Loran citizen infected with the scourge mad with hunger for blood and lust for the flesh to him she was a viable as any woman she was about to resign herself to fate when a silver shafted arrow hit the man in the head punching through his left temple and spearing out of the right dropping him like a bag of stones.

Her hope restored in that moment she got up, staring franticly for the direction of the attack having found her again the great beast smashed through a nearby wall when she heard it, a human voice bidding her to climb the ladder, taking a gamble the young Nerco did as she was told and climbed franticly trying to get away from the thing. Just out of it's reach a man came round from behind her and stood in front of her "Taken by the scourge are you? Then you leave me no choice. Prepare yourself!" The man said as he drew a second arrow from the quiver at his side pelting the gigantic beast with arrow after arrow until with a deafening roar it gave up and turned away. It had better things to do than sit there and be target practice for a hunter protecting the one that got away from him. Letting out a long sigh of relief he turned on the girl and knelt down in front of her, "Are you okay Young Miss?" The man asked her transforming his weapon from a bow into a warped sabre "I dont know your face, but I know that garb you're a Harrowed Hunter." She said making the thin man in front of her smile, "Young, Intelligent, and Not too bad in her looks either." The man commented, Making her blush ever so slightly. "What was that thing and why was it doing that to the women who stayed in that brothel?" She asked, expecting an answer. "Laying claim to them." The man started to say before he continued "He impregnated those women and so they are his now." The man said, shocking her "His?" She repeated slight rage boiling in her blood as her balled up, white knuckle fists shook with that rage. "Who are you by the way." or am I to give thanks to someone I don't know, and at this he smiled wryly "Simon, My name is Simon... Though most know me as The Harrowed Bowman." He said with a curt nod "Would you like an escort back to the city?" Simon asked her to which she nodded "Just get me as far as The Blackwater District." She said, "I have friends there that I can stay with." Simon stood for a moment before he nodded "As the Young Miss wishes" He said with a courteous bow "Come along now, this way." He said leading her through the darkened tunnels "Why are the torches out?" Nerco asked as simon lead the way in front of her "Harrowed Hunters attack from the shadows, Young Miss." He said as he lead her on, "But if it helps, then you can borrow this." He said handing her a small hand lantern which she took very gratefully lighting it and then attaching it to her belt this looking down at herself she was wearing a Black skirt with matching black leggings that at the middle faded to the same violet shade as her eyes. Her face was hidden by a hood but simon could make out the faintest tufts of snow while hair, likely her bangs coming out from the corners of the hood. Coming to once again lit corridors she extinguished the lantern and handed it back to simon who shook his head. "Keep it Young miss, you may have need of it again." Simon said with a nod as he turned to leave "Nerco." She said to him making him stop, "You kept calling me Young Miss more than likely because you didn't know my name, so Nerco, my name is Nerco." At this Simon smiled and replied with the same respectful bow as before "Then I bid you a safe evening... Nerco." and just as quickly as he had come, he was gone hearing footsteps behind her she turned to see her friends Onnen and Thaeon running toward her Onnen picking her up in a tight hug, "Thank the gods you're alright!" She said practically in tears, "Whole city's gone to shit." Thaeon said nonchalantly as he quickly peered over his shoulder, hand resting on the sheathed blade in his belt "Where did he... get that from Onnen? And what about the one you have?" stopping to face her "Hunters were protecting us from the beasts when they got surprised from behind." Onnen said, "Fight or Flight kicked in for both of us and we grabbed their weapons and just started swinging at whatever got too close to us." Onnen said as she handed Nerco a weapon, a short machete like sabre with a serrated sawback edge on its blade "It's not the most elegant thing in the world but its light enough that you can use it." Onnen said as Nerco examined the weapon before taking it in her hand giving it a test swing, she found it was comfortable to hold and just as she said light enough for her to swing it but not so heavy it would burden her if she had to try and defend herself.

Waking from the dream, or was it a nightmare? She didn't know for sure, Nerco had found that Gaile had covered some amazing ground while she slept, "Welcome back to the waking world Nerco." Gaile said, teasing her. "So what were you dreaming about?" Gaile asked genuinely curious but also afraid of her answer. "I dreamt back to before I became a Keeper. When I was fourteen the outbreak in Loran hit its peak. I was being chased by a freshly turned Darkbeast it had attacked a brothel that I had found when I decided to investigate the noise." She said, recounting the horrific scene from her dream. "That thing would have raped me too and put a bastard in my belly if I hadn't been saved by Simon, ...you had said that you'd met him in the nightmare right?" She asked as Gaile faced her out of the corner of his golden yellow eyes. "Yes but he was killed by someone he called 'The Beast-Hide Assassin' that he could hear the bell and that it never ended. He asked me to end the curse placed on the hunters. As they could not bear the weight of their forefathers forever." Gaile said to the shocked Nerco. "Simon is... No... that cant be... ...Beast-Hide...Assassin, ...Brador..." Nerco said the name with venom in her tone, and Gaile nodded in response, "So we have a name to the title. You'll be happy to know I saw him there. Bastard tried to do me in as well but I killed him off each time that damned bell of his brought him to me." until finally I found the real one in a cell in the research hall. "His death was neither painless nor quick." Gaile said as he spit on the ground at the mere mention of the insane church assassin "He showed no such kindness to those he slaughtered in the name of The Healing Church." He said with just as much venom as Nerco, "but I am curious what was it like for you before you were made into a Keeper? I mean from the way You, Onnen and Thaeon act you must have grown up together down in Loran." Gaile said as he looked away to see where he was walking. "We did actually, when the scourge broke out that night, I was fourteen, Onnen was eighteen, and Thaeon was sixteen." Gaile nodded to show that he had heard her "And you were made a Keeper when you were twenty-seven." Gaile stated recounting knowledge that she had shared with him previously. "Yes, Onnen was thirty-one when she was made, as for Thaeon he was only a year ahead of me when he was made." she stated flatly "So that makes him physically twenty-nine." to which Nerco nodded. "Is there anything else you want to know?" Gaile thought about it for a moment, he didn't want to pry too much "Just how old are you now Nerco? Its one thing I've always been curious about" Gaile said, not looking as he continued on the uneven terrain of the Nightmare Frontier. "I've been a Keeper for about seven-hundred and twelve years now..." Gaile said nothing, he was speechless and in that instant he understood why Nerco was so cold in the beginning, he could imagine she was much more pleasant when she was first made. "You were twenty-seven when you were made and you've been this for seven-hundred and twelve years, that makes you seven-hundred and thirty-nine..." to which she nodded "Yes Onnen is seven-hundred and forty-three and Thaeon is seven-hundred and forty-one." Gaile had stopped and gently set her down. "Why are we stopping here?" she started to ask when she heard it, off key humming. "Winter Lanterns, great." She said, and Gaile nodded in agreement. "This is bad. I dont have any sedatives to ward off their frenzy." Nerco had stood up effortlessly, having recovered much faster while she slept than she would have while awake. "They wont attack me." She said as she walked toward the figure in the distance, its eyes fixed on her as it walked toward her and what happened next left Gaile absolutely bewildered, it bowed to her resting her hand on its bulbous head it rose up and walked off the cliff edge into the abyss she repeated this feat twice more and the lanterns did the same as the first and threw themselves from the cliffs to their deaths. "You can come out now Gaile." She said calmly, to which he responded by coming out from behind the outcropping of rocks he was hiding behind to avoid their maddening gazes. "I don't know how you did that, but it worked out well." Gaile said as they walked together down a steep inclining path and found themselves at the edge of a shallow lake of toxic water. To their relief there were fallen obelisks that they could travel along to cross to the other side while Gaile could tolerate the poison extremely well he wasn't sure about Nerco's resistance to poison. Crossing the lake they found themselves in a small arena of sorts as the passed the archway into the area a veil of nightmare fog closed them into the space, trapping them. "What the hell? Why?" Gaile asked bewildered as Nerco pointed to the Amygdala hanging from the tower at the far side of the space. "That's why..."

To be continued in CH11


	11. Chapter 11

**First off, I'd like to apologize for taking so long to get this chapter out ;-;**

 **From now on, I'll try to have shorter times between uploads since I'm back into the groove of writing**

Gaile and Nerco stood strong against their advancing opponent but it didn't last long as many eyes seemed to bulge out of the gigantic great one's head and mere moments later a white beam of focused energy was fired toward them in an advancing line they both rolled out of the way to avoid the beam each one rolling in the opposite direction of the other. "I dont know what that was, but I have a feeling we're going to see what that was for in a moment." Gaile said with a growl, baring his teeth as he glared at his massive opponent. Seconds later, a chain of explosions began to follow the same path the beam had taken. "So that's what that does!" Gaile exclaimed as they both rolled out of the way a second time, As he came back to his feet Gaile swung his Beast Cutter at the arm of the Amygdala latching the hooked barb at the tip of the weapon in its arm allowing him to climb the massive beast. The Amygdala responded in turn by raising its arm in an attempt to swat this annoying fly once and for all but before the act could be done, a nova of fire hit the great one in the chest knocking it off balance momentarily. It immediately fixed its eyes on Nerco as Gaile lashed out the with Beast Cutter again, this time catching hold in its shoulder with a furious roar he began to retract the weapon and as he did so he ran up its arm swinging The Blade of Mercy in his other free hand cutting into it as he did so "I. Hope. You're. HUNGRY!" he yelled out the last part as he flew into the air as the Beast Cutter dislodged from its shoulder collapsing back into a heavy cleaver, beginning to fall back to the ground below he spun himself around in a flurry of blades catching the Amygdala in the side of the face with a bone crushing strike that sliced through several bars of the organic cage-like structure protecting its head, hitting the tender, sensitive flesh below causing the massive Great One to let out a loud bellow of agonized pain. Gaile however, had landed flawlessly on the ground crouched on one knee while the massive beast thrashed around in pain, hands clutching at the wound on its head as blood began to ooze out of the massive gash he had inflicted looking back at the beast out of the corner of his eye, he spoke

"Now that I have your attention. You owe me a new set of gear, and I aim to collect!" He yelled as he ran forward at the Amygdala while Nerco called forth her Hounds. "Help him out you two, Buy me some time!" At first the did nothing but stare at him and then look back at her as if questioning her "Do it!" She yelled at them and needing no further orders they rushed alongside Gaile teeth bared at the Great one the cracks in their ashen bodies burning a fiery orange as they lunged forward biting into the flesh of the Great One's arm and never letting go even when the Amygdala thrashed its arms around in an attempt to shake the massive hellhounds off of its arm they refused to let go. Having decided its had enough the amygdala prepared to fire off another energy beam but this is what Nerco had been waiting for, with the same frightening smirk from before she pulled her sword halfway out of its scabbard catching the beam of energy on the blade but rather than deflect it, the blade was absorbing the energy having collected more than she could ever need as the beam dissipated she quickly shut the blade back into the scabbard with a dark chuckle she yelled out, "That's enough you two. Let go!" She said causing the amygdala to focus on her again Gaile forgotten even when he was furiously hacking into its arms with the Beast Cutter "Gaile... Move!" She said with glowing violet eyes with slitted pupils like Gaile's when his beasthood took him over. Drawing her Rakuyo from its scabbard in one smooth motion she unleashed a purple shockwave of fire and energy that hit the Amygdala with unrelenting force knocking it off balance for a second time and then throwing it to the ground, with a final pitiful wail the creature died as its body rapidly began to disintegrate into ash and strangely violet embers from the core of its remains a portal began to form and with a forceful power it sucked them both into its black depths where it would take them neither one knew but they could only hope to end up back home.

However, things dont always go as planned and in a final act of vengeance the Amygdala had flung them into the farthest reaches of Yharnam's outskirts, The Forsaken Castle of Cainhurst. "This... Isn't good, ...this isn't good at all." Gaile said worriedly as he got up reaching down to offer Nerco a hand up this time she accepted as he pulled her up and into his arms making her blush lightly "I dont know what that was Nerco but I'm glad you did it I dont think we would have been able to kill an Amygdala otherwise." Looking up at him she spoke "I took a gamble and it paid off." She said with heavy breaths, clearly the attack drained quite a bit from her but this wasn't the place you want to be if you drop from exhaustion. There are fouler things than Vilebloods lurking in the shadows of Cainhurst, Gaile knew this, he had braved the horror and insanity of this cursed place once before and now he had to look after Nerco while doing it all over again "I swear the next Great One I see that isn't Ebrietas is getting a Beast Cutter right up the ass." Gaile grumbled angrily causing the still exhausted Nerco to let out a light bout of laughter. It soon became apparent that they weren't alone as a sad sound began to make itself known around them tens of transparent women all dressed in bordeaux dresses of various hues of colour all bound at their wrists and all carrying very wicked looking knives and all of them splattered in brown, dried ancient blood, their own blood. These women were among the hundreds slaughtered by The Healing Churches so called Executioners in the Vileblood Massacre at Cainhurst. It didn't take much longer for them to notice The two living beings in their presence. "Executioners victims... of all the possible ways to die... Though I cannot pity them either, for they are nothing more but hatred and vengeance now." Nerco said easing in to a defensive stance hand resting on the hilt of her Rakuyo, She was waiting patiently for the angry spirits to attack them to do anything really but they merely stood, and stared "They wont bother us so long as we dont disturb them." Gaile said, his voice a light whisper. Things seemed to be going smoothly but then Nerco felt a pinprick in the back of her neck which caused Gaile to go wide eyed "Unfucking believable." Gaile said incredulously, "How did I forget about those stupid little hunch backed creeps." He said as he drew out the Albrecht Repeater that Jon used against him in their duel, it was just as powerful as his Evelyn but he didn't need to reload it every time he fired which for him was a huge bonus.

With a marksman's precision he sniped the aforementioned hunch back off his perch next to the winding staircase that lead up to the next floor of the ancient castle but before long the ghosts began screaming like banshees as an angry red rune appeared on Nerco's skin where the dart had hit her "There's too many for me to fight when I have you to look after!" Gaile said as he scooped Nerco up in his arms and took off up the staircase only for a second dart to punch into Gaile's shoulder, "Alright, you little bastard!" Gaile yelled out of frustration as the dart took effect, this one felt different, he felt thirsty, not for any normal drink, he wanted, no he needed blood. He knew at that moment what he'd been hit with, a condensed form of the Beast Blood Pellets he had threw in the fire during their time together in Old Yharnam. "Beast Blood huh? Alright then if the beast wants blood, then I'll give it Vileblood!" Gaile roared as he rushed the hunch backed man who was desperately trying to climb down from his perch to escape the beast that he had unleashed but to no avail as he was violently grabbed by the collar of his small waistcoat and his thin withered neck was torn into by the blood thirsty Gaile. Nerco stared half in horror that he was succumbing to his beasthood again so soon and half amazed that he was able to reason under its influence. As the rotted blood of the small pest flowed both down Gaile's eager gullet and also spilling on the floor the beasthood Caryll rune that etched itself on his neck began to fade and receded finally free of its effect he quickly purged himself of the rotten blood so as to avoid becoming that which he hated so. Some time later they found themselves in a massive library but there was nothing here that would interest either party but one book caught Nerco's eye "How to pick up Fair Maidens... Been a long time since I've seen a copy of this old book." She said as Gaile jumped forward out of a smashed in window going down first to clear the path of anything that might be lying in wait, as he landed he attracted the attention of two gargoyles that had been sitting, perched on the railing of the ancient castle waiting for some source of blood to cross their paths.

"...Well, fuck." Gaile said as the blood starved statuesque fiends rushed him again, and again intent on draining him dry. Gaile was much faster than they were as he back dashed away from them and followed with left and right sidesteps each time catching the beasts with his Beast Cutter slowly whittling away at them and chipping through their stony armor little by little, until finally, he heard a sickening crack and the wet sound of his Beast Cutter ripping through flesh and spraying rotted blood onto the snow covered ground of Castle Cainhurst. "finally cracked your shells now have I? That's good, now we can get down to business." Gaile said as he lashed out the Beast Cutter once more ripping into the shoulders of the blood thirsty gargoyles, tearing the left arm off of one of them which resulted in a shower of the rotted blood of the denizens of Cainhurst. Elsewhere, Nerco was exploring the massive library, "So many old tomes, though none of them are as old as I am, and many of them were being still written as I watched the world pass me by." Hearing footsteps directly behind her she turned on her heel hand rested firmly on her Rakuyo to find nothing there.

"I know you're here. Whoever you are I would advise you to show yourself, friend or foe." She waited patiently for whatever was in the room with her to reveal itself or attack from the shadows but then she heard it, a plain uninterested, almost bored sounding tone of voice "Well, this is interesting you were able to sense my presence in the room but not pinpoint my location" the voice, clearly male spoke out before a figure to match appeared out of thin air, "Blue Elixir, but I've never seen it completely conceal someone, or last as long as yours did." Nerco said to the man clad in a long trailing coat, with a ragged capelet hanging around the shoulders of his coat his face was shrouded by a hood with a mask of iron bars, a garb unique to the "Hunters" of Yahar'gul. "I'm going to guess that you're with Mensis..." She stated flatly as she tensed the grip on her Rakuyo the man made no attempt to do her any harm and raised his arms in a gesture of surrender "I mean you no harm miss although like those godless bastards of The Choir we too wish to see the prophecy fulfilled... We would prefer to have your hunter mate father the child rather than some spliced together monstrosity created by those damnable fools. You seek insight and knowledge no? Our library is vast in comparison to this castle's admirably impressive collection, and we have tomes that date back to before your time tomes that only a Keeper can break the seals on." The man paused before continuing,

"Come with us, and we will guarantee your safety from the clutches of The Choir and whatever horrifying beast that they planned to throw you to for the prophecy's fulfilment." Nerco stood fast her guard still up though she appeared to be weighing her options The Order of Mensis could keep Her and Gaile out of The Choir's clutches but they wanted her to fulfil the prophecy just like The Choir did, her thoughts were cut short however, when a mangled gargoyle carcass was sent flying through the smashed in window that Gaile had first jumped from, followed by a blood drenched Gaile who had hooked his Beast Cutter into the carcass before tossing the it through the window. "No deals here, I want nothing to do with anyone from the Choir or Mensis" Gaile said with an almost demonic glare, his golden yellow eyes burning like fire. The hooded Mensis Scholar looked at Gaile through his hooded mask and he said nothing, the silence seemed to drag on forever as none dared move nor speak until the Scholar broke the silence, "Ah the hunter! Fresh from a kill and eager to continue, we could offer you endless bounties such as these and more. Even better equipment than what you currently have on yourself, surely a hunter of your caliber seeks greater prey and stature to rise above the other hunters no?" Gaile's glare immediately died out from sheer confusion "I- ...I ...What?" He said through his bewilderment causing the Scholar to chuckle mirthfully. "Its a proposition for both of you Good Hunter. Both of you accompany me back to Yahar'gul and you will be given a place to stay, food and drink, and what has been promised to you both." At this Gaile looked at Nerco with a questioning expression "What offer?" Gaile asked his eyes narrowing once more. "I highly doubt you would simply give me all of this, you know well that I've done a great deal to hinder your people in the past." He said plainly to which the Scholar nodded. "That is true, but we, The Order of Mensis, are willing to turn a blind eye to these past offences if you were to cooperate, if you do not however, I fear that the higher ups of The Order may re-think their deal, at least with you. The Keeper will indeed have her own ends as she never made enemies of us." Hearing this was all it took for his previous fiery glare to return as Gaile angrily brandished the Beast Cutter in his hand transforming it back into a segmented whip with a sharp upward flick of his arm. He was about to lash it out at the Mensis Scholar but was stopped by Nerco's well timed question. "Can your library offer me as much insight and knowledge as a Great One like Ebrietas could?" Which caused Gaile to smirk darkly at the man standing before them. "I-... No, no it couldn't." The Scholar said utterly defeated.

Sensing his end, his gaze hardened under his helmet. "I'm sorry we couldn't do this peacefully but you really aren't giving me much of a choice." He said as he brandished his weapon, a pair of ornate silver long swords that was quickly locked into place inside of larger double edged scabbards with large rotary motors and chains of small blades similar in appearance to those of the Threaded Cane, forming them into a pair of massive saw blades at this Gaile's smirk turned into a sly grin "Heh, I never thought I'd see the day when a Scholar of Mensis would use a weapon designed by Neither The Healing Church Nor their own workshop." Gaile said as he eyed what was obviously a custom designed pair of Chainswords that were no doubt based upon the mass produced "Holy Blades" that were originally based on the Holy Moonlight Greatsword that was wielded by The First Church Hunter, Ludwig, Gaile himself, possessed this legendary weapon within the confines of his storage chest in The Hunter's Dream, but didn't dare to use it. With a quick pump of the levers that were attached to the scabbards that bent down to into the hands of the Scholar the massive chainswords roared to life, Gaile and Nerco both knew this was an opponent that would be dangerous to engage in close quarters, only a fool would do so as those spinning teeth would shred anything they came into contact with to bloody ribbons. The Scholar was the first one to make a move as he brought one of the massive blades down in an overhead swing forcing the two to dodge to the respective left and right of him Gaile dashed forward to attack but was sent flying back by a backlash swing from the scholar's right hand chainsword if the teeth had been spinning on that attack Gaile would have been ripped in two and for that he heaved a sigh of relief, mere moments later he quickly rolled out of the way as the same chainsword that sent him flying was headed toward him in a downward strike, that was narrowly avoided.

Gaile holstered his Repeater and replaced it with Eileen's Blade of Mercy and executed a haphazardly formed plan that he came up with on the spot while avoiding swing after swing "Follow my lead, we're never going to get close enough to do anything with those damn blades revved up like that!" Gaile shouted as he lashed out his Beast Cutter which was coiled around the chainsword in a tangle of serrated teeth and cables, forcing the Scholar to dislodge that scabbard from his blade "Cleverly executed Good Hunter!" He said as he threw the silver longsword at Gaile which he parried with a swift gunshot, knocking the flying projectile out of the air. Nerco however had a less risky idea for disarming this annoyance, she applied immense heat to the blade of her Rakuyo and dashed forward anticipating his downward swing and with a swift hit the superheated blade cut clean through the massive saw effectively disarming the Scholar Gaile finished the fight shortly after walking up to him and with a beastly growl he viciously rammed his hand into the chest cavity of the Scholar who let out a pained cry of surprise, feeling what he was looking for, Gaile wrenched his hand free with a massive spray of blood, and with it came the panicked, furiously beating heart of the Scholar. Gaile let out a lower growl than the last one and mercilessly crushed the beating organ in his hand causing the Mensis Scholar to fall over and with his last breath he left a final warning "You have no idea what you've set into motion by killing me, ...there will be no mercy for either of you." With one last breath he let out a final death rattle as he began to choke on his own blood, his eyes rolling backward into his head "Well that's the end of that I suppose..." Nerco said, her eyes lowered sadly "I wish things could have been different..." She finished before looking up at Gaile who's features suddenly hardened, "Different? Those bastards in The Order of Mensis are no better than those fools that make up The Choir, while they would rather have me as the father, as soon as I'd have done my part they would be rid of me no question on it. They know full well I would never allow them to lay even a breath upon my own flesh and blood. And I seriously doubt you would either... but it is true, he didn't have to die and my rash actions may cost us a great deal in the near future, but for right now we have to focus on getting out of this gods forsaken place. I know for a fact there's a lantern that leads back to The Hunter's Dream on the northernmost rooftop just before " _Her_ " throne room" Gaile said the word with a venomous tone which both intrigued Nerco and slightly frightened her. "And who, may I ask is 'She'?" Nerco asked with a curious tone. To which Gaile sighed before continuing "'She' is Annalise, The Queen of the Vilebloods, and if I had to guess, she's probably just as if not older than you."

Gaile said as he began to walk up a large staircase in the middle of the library drawing out his repeater he blew an unaware sentry off his perch, the large quicksilver bullet nearly shattering his skull "I'd rather not deal with an army of Bound Widows again, Not so sure about you though" Gaile said with a devious smirk to which Nerco responded by punching him in the arm "I would prefer to avoid such a thing as well you know." She said with an exhausted sigh "My head is still throbbing both from that damnable dart and the infernal screeching of those pitiful spirits." she finished with a short exhale of breath. A short while later the two find themselves standing at the archway of the northernmost rooftop of the castle the lantern is in plain sight and their escape from this frozen hell is within their grasp when suddenly the sound of distant gunfire catches their attention mere moments before the lantern explodes in a shower of glass slivers and an ethereal wisp of white flame. "Oooooh... So close, and yet so far away! It must really suck to be you two right about now!" A cocky female voice sounded off from somewhere within the blizzard that was rampaging around them and it whoever it belonged to was getting closer. "I was actually wondering when you two were going to show up..." The voice spoke again as a silhouette was seen walking toward them through the dense, snow plagued winds "I was starting to get bored... To be honest, if you had taken any longer getting here I might have actually fallen asleep." The figure said as she finally walked forward closing enough distance between them, that she could finally be seen as more than a silhouette She was clad in a withered, black duster coat similar to those worn by The Old Hunters with Blood Red pleats on the collar and shoulders, the midnight black trousers seen on most if not all hunters today, her head was crowned with the iconic frayed tricorne hat worn by most hunters and held taught in her hands, which were protected by bone ash gauntlets were a pair of Beast Cutters. "So, who dies first?" the mysterious female huntress said with a psychotic smirk Gaile let out a low growl as his pupils shifted into beastly slits as he brandished the Burial Blade that Nerco had taken from him in their rematch, he had thought it destroyed but she had been keeping it with her all this time. "You do. Bast. I don't have time for you or your unquenchable thirst for violence and blood." At this her smirk widened "Really now Gaile who's going to kill me? You? Or that exhausted, panting keeper bitch you've been dragging along with you." At this, Gaile growled venomously "You're going to wish you had kept your mouth shut, you damned vampire whore!"

To Be Continued in Chapter 12


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello everyone! Here is Chapter 12, we are at this point officially half way through my story plot!**

 **Next chapter we will be moving into the "Race to Ebrietas Arc" which will comprise the rest of the story's remaining chapters also i will be polling next chapter, what for? well you'll just have to read the chapter and find out!**

 **Now, without further Ado, Let's begin!**

Nerco had seen Gaile angry before she had felt it during their time spent in the nightmare frontier, but she had never seen him like this if she had to use one word to describe what she saw in him at this exact moment, it would have to be fury. Alas she wasn't sure how he was going to fight someone like bast with only his repeater as he was unable to retrieve his Beast Cutter from its entanglement around the discarded chainsword scabbard then it clicked, she still had his burial blade but never returned it, now seemed as good a time as any as she produced the ancient staff and blade from the ashen void, her own pocket dimension in which she stored all her provisions whether it be food and drink, medical supplies or other things for more private matters it was stored there when she didn't need it though this was beside the point Gaile needed a weapon and she had one.

"Gaile, Catch!" Nerco shouted getting the attention of her mate he caught the staff and blade of Gehrman's legendary scythe resting the staff along his back for when he needed a longer range of attack he stuck to using the blade in its curved sabre form he said nothing, he didn't even look in her direction, he nodded curtly "The Burial Blade? Now, this is a weapon I have fond memories of or did you forget Gaile, I'm one of the last living Old Hunters!" Bast roared as she dashed forward with the same inhuman speed as Gaile once did lashing out her right hand Beast Cutter which Gaile deftly avoided causing Bast to let out a condescending smirk "You sure you want to dodge that Gaile? If you do, she's going to get hit" Bast said smugly causing Gaile to look at Nerco for the first time since their fight began and then he heard it, a scream of pain as Bast's Beast Cutter hit her full force in the arm ripping a horrifying gash into it as the weapon recoiled back "Gaile, I'm fine! This isn't anything a blood vial can't heal! Focus on her!" Nerco shouted as she produced a blood vial from a satchel on her leg injecting the life saving liquid into her thigh with a wince and a sigh of relief as the wound on her arm began to knit itself back together. Bast's smirk was instantly replaced with a scowl "Healing your wounds? Now now love, that wont do at all..." She said as she readied another lash from her left hand Beast Cutter this time deliberately aiming at Nerco rather than punishing Gaile for avoiding an attack, and with a burst of static and the same yellowish haze of dust that was usually seen when one used the quickening, Gaile was gone and for the first time in ages Bast felt uneasy, and before she knew what had happened, she heard Gaile's voice directly behind her. "I'm your opponent Bast, not Nerco. Leave her out of this, because I'm only going to give this warning once more." Bast let an unseen smirk grace her features as she turned on a heel mid swing "Do you honestly think I'm scared of you, little wolf pup!?"

She roared as her swing came full circle, and hit nothing. "Too slow Bast." was all she heard when she felt the cold sting of The Burial Blade grace her back from shoulder to waist in a spray of blood, the wound wasn't deep enough to be life threatening but he could guarantee that it hurt like hell, even if she didn't show it. "I've had enough of you!" Bast shouted out as she spun round swinging both of her Beast Cutters finally hitting Gaile who couldn't dodge quickly enough, the heavy force of the two Beast Cutters hitting him full force knocked the wind from his lungs and sent him sprawling to the edge of the rooftop, at this point Bast need only hit him once more to send him tumbling to his death, but the hit never came, instead Bast focused her eyes on Nerco who's own features took a look of indifference as the Old Huntress advanced on her "He's going to be out for a while after a hit like that, so lets have a little bit of time together girl to girl..." Bast said as a psychotic grin graced her features. Nerco drew up her Rakuyo but it was deftly kicked out of her hands "That wont do, I can't have you fighting back for this." She said as she produced a familiar beaker of a clear but viscous liquid and smashed it over Nerco's downed form she recognized this feeling of helplessness and instantly had a flashback to Old Yharnam, The Maggot Hunter who tried to rape her and steal away her virginity, the one gift she could bestow to one she truly grew to love then she felt it the slow grating of her Beast Cutter sawing into her slowly, it hurt but she wouldn't give this evil bitch the satisfaction of hearing her scream, then Bast's scowl returned. "Awwwww look at you trying to act tough... It makes me... SICK!" Bast yelled and suddenly ripped her left hand Beast Cutter into Nerco's thigh but not before she was relieved of her blood vials the satchel taken and crushed under Bast's boot clad foot she couldn't take any more as the pain became too much, She started to scream in agony unbeknownst to Bast Gaile was coming back to and the first thing that he heard were Nerco's screams. Feeling the oncoming change he quickly took off his jacket, waistcoat and undershirt leaving his pants on as the familiar aura of the Beast's Embrace began to dance around him with a feral growl he let loose one last burst of speed from the quickening and appeared in front of Bast Grabbing her by the throat with his right hand, and stopping Bast's assault cold with his left. With a deafening roar he violently slammed Bast into the snow covered rooftop of Castle Cainhurst before lifting her up once more and just as violently throwing her across the rooftop Nerco stared at him wide eyed. She had never seen him be this violent as a beast as the black sclera of his golden eyes fixed on her for only a moment, then it clicked. This isn't him at all those aren't his eyes at all those are the eyes of a beast driven by lust but which, is he after her blood or is it sexual lust it didn't take long for her question to be answered as The thick phallus of the Beast standing in front of her slid from the sheath between his legs glistening with pre.

 **Warning: Lemon, if you dont want to read it then skip to the next chapter because its all sex from here on.**

"Ah, You're in for a treat Bast..." Nerco says as Bast struggles to her feet only to see the beast in front of her his member exposed "I've experienced this side of Gaile before but for me he held back. For you, there will be no such mercy." She continued before finishing with one last statement, "Better you than me, Farewell." Taking that as the green light Gaile dashed forward before Bast was even halfway to her feet. Grabbing her once again by the neck and slamming her violently into the wall raising a single clawed digit from his free left hand he traced the wicked pair of scars along Bast's right cheek before with a lash of his finger added a third which caused her blood to splatter across his snout her red slitted eyes glaring at him defiantly "Just try it wolf pup. I'm not as easy as her." she said Spitting in Nerco's direction earning a threatening growl from Gaile as if saying "You ought not do that." to which Bast replied with a smirk "What's the matter wolf pup? Did that strike a cord? I'm sorry... oh wait, no I'm not!" just then Gaile raised his massive clawed left hand and began to violently tear into her clothing ripping open her waistcoat and undershirt exposing her rather perky breasts to the cold winter air of Cainhurst which caused Bast's smirk to vanish in an instant. "Oh gods, you can't be serious." She said with a laugh, "What? Is this supposed to scare me? Make me beg for my life? Come off it wolf pup. Do your worst, trust me, I can take it." With another deafening roar Gaile tore her jacket to shreds and hooked a claw into the waistband of her trousers which caused Bast to smirk "Straight to the action? No foreplay?" She said jokingly "And no mercy." Nerco added, having resorted to ingesting the Beast Blood Pellet she stole from Gaile to heal her injuries. "He wont be holding back on you at all." At this Bast's smirk widened "Oh I cant wait." She said as the slitted pupils in her blood red eyes narrowed almost to needlepoints. "Come on the Beast show me what your made o- Auuugh!" She didn't get to finish her statement as Gaile forced his beastly member into her depths thrusting into her with savage force. This wasn't something she was meant to enjoy but none the less she appeared to be enjoying herself as she wrapped her arms around the back of Gaile's neck to brace herself. "Ah~ this force, this ferocity... IT'S HEAVEN!" She roared out in her ecstasy, as her nails began to sharpen into claws she dug them into the back of Gaile's neck driving him on.

Bast felt it in his thrusting, the bulge of his knot formed at the base of his beastly member pounding at her entrance with each of his thrusts but he never attempted to force it into her to tie them together and then it clicked for her, "That is a pleasure only she gets to Ah~ experience!" She said with a single eye glaring at Nerco who returned the gesture right back the pupils of her violet eyes narrowed into Bestial slits of their own. Soon enough Gaile felt his oncoming orgasm but fought the beast's urge to tie with her to ensure an effective breeding if she wanted to feel his knot she wouldn't feel it there! He thought to himself as he withdrew his member much to Bast's displeasure, his member slick with her juices as she had orgasmed many times during the brutal sex she was receiving. Then he lined his member up with her rear entrance his tip poking at her rosebud and for the first time since he began his assault Bast looked genuinely afraid "No, Not there don't you fucking daaaaaaahhhhn~" she once again didn't get to finish as his massive member forced its way into her ass it glided in and out with his thrusting mostly without pain thanks to the lubrication provided by Bast's juices the tight pressure exerted by her hole was driving Gaile mad as his speed increased she once again began to feel his knot pounding at her entrance and this time she knew she was going to feel it. Gaile's breathing had become ragged and hot announcing that he was close to his limit and with another deafening roar and a final thrust his fist sized knot slid with the rest of his member into Bast's rear driving her over the edge into another orgasm as his hot seed was unloaded inside of her, she could feel the sheer amount of it flooding into her as her nectar spraying onto Gaile's waist coating his fur in her scent driving him even madder with lust nowhere near done with her he began to thrust again with his knot locked inside of her the massive bulge beating her up inside when suddenly she felt it pull out of her only to be slammed back in he was fucking her with his knot and she was loving every second of it. She wasn't able to form coherent thoughts anymore, her mind had broken from the pleasure long before he had even tied his knot inside of her. Pulling his knot out of her one more time he lined himself back up with her front entrance and slid his member home forcing the knot inside of her as he went earning a light moan from Bast. His tip and a good two inches of his member had pushed past Bast's cervix into her womb and there he unleashed another hot load of his bestial seed inside of her, before long his knot began to deflate slid out of her as a waterfall of hot seed gushed from her loins.

With a venomous growl, he tore into Bast's throat waking her from her pleasured stupor as she began to choke on her blood "This is the end for you whore." Gaile said in a bestial growl as he unceremoniously dropped her on the rooftop before violently stomping her head in ending her centuries long life. Needless to say, Gaile was nowhere near satisfied and soon found himself turning in Nerco's direction when he noticed her eyes, black sclera and burning violet irises surrounding slitted beast-like pupils Seeing her eyes was all it took for him to be ready to go again as his softening member, more than half way back into the sheath slid out again rock hard and ready to breed her but what happened next would surprise even someone like Gaile in a flip of the usual tables Gaile was made to be the submissive one in the sex as Nerco dashed forward knocking him to the ground as she lay atop him grinding her folds up and down his length nuzzling her face into the crook of his neck making him let out a light but affectionate growl as he began to lick her cheek any chance he got having had enough of foreplay of any sort Nerco stood up and lined her entrance up with Gaile's impressive member and lowered herself onto him and began to bob up and down on his member riding him and from the ever-changing range of expressions on her face she was thoroughly enjoying herself, after a good while of her riding him Gaile had begun to want more and began to thrust his hips in time with her downward drop causing him to go deeper into her folds every time and with more time passing he began to breathe harder and faster each breath sounding more ragged and bestial as he got closer and closer to his limit, his knot had already formed in preparation for his climax and as he got closer to the breaking point he turned the tables flipping Nerco over so that he was on top he began thrusting harder and faster and she began to feel the bulge of his knot pounding at her entrance each thrust granting it that much more entry into her moist depths. Several thrusts later the bulbous growth popped inside of her tying them together as his tip of his member like with bast pushed past Nerco's cervix and into her womb to deliver the massive load of his hot, bestial seed filling her completely and causing a slight inflation of her abdomen, unbeknownst to Gaile, Nerco had started ovulating as an effect of the pellet as only a beast can be impregnated by a beast. Unable to stand the head as always Nerco's folds clamped down on Gaile's member as orgasm after orgasm rocked her body with a light tug and a moan from Nerco his knot pulled out of her while the seed remained in her womb fertilizing the egg that had attached itself to the walls of her uterus. She felt it the moment it happened as her eyes widened and then she looked down at her abdomen with a tender loving expression, she knew that she was pregnant and she was content with it. As she leaned up to kiss Gaile on the tip of his snout.

 **Lemon End, We will now resume with your regularly scheduled fanfiction.**

Gaile pulled the rest of his member out of her folds with another series of gasps and moans and within a matter of minutes his member had retreated back into the sheath between his legs before the fur on his body began to shed away as his body mass decreased and he became more human in appearance. His pants remained intact thank the gods as he re fastened them and started to look for his discarded articles of clothing when he found them he noted that much of Bast's blood and brain matter had splattered onto and stained his upper garments with her rotted stench. "There's no way in hell I'm putting those back on." He said to himself as he smashed a Molotov Cocktail on the pile of clothes burning them to ash. Looking back over his shoulder he had noticed Nerco starting to shiver from the cold, scooping her up in his arms he held her tight to his warm body seeing the amount of damage Bast had done to her armor and mantle it was no wonder she was cold. "It's alright we'll be out of the cold soon, Annalise always did have a air of warmth in her throne room..." Gaile said as he started to walk forward into the entryway of Annalise's throne room catching the Vileblood Queen's immediate attention. "Ah this scent is one I recognize... Thou hath returned to us Good Hunter? Have you changed your mind on my previous offer?" Gaile shook his head. "The answer is still no Annalise. Now more than ever, I just need to get back to The Hunter's Dream." as the warmth came to her Nerco stopped shivering and regained conciousness with a yawn "Huh? Gaile where are w-..." She stopped cold upon seeing the amused face of Annalise "And whom pray tell is this lovely young woman Good Hunter?" Annalise said warmly causing Nerco to blush lightly at the Queen's genuine comment. Then the scent hit her. "You've claimed her Good Hunter?" At this Gaile scowled. "I have, is that a problem for you?" At this she too scowled "Not at all, I assume you'll need to use the lantern to return to the dream? Begone and dont return as I will be destroying both this lantern and the one by the front gate, I hereby rescind my original invitation." she said with a cold demeanour that confused and infuriated Nerco. "So he and I are mated what does that have to do with anything!?" This caused the queens expression to turn to one of wide eyed surprise and then to knowing warmth "So she has some bite to her it seems. I like this one You have chosen well Good Hunter, although my statement stands." At this Gaile respectfully bowed "Thank you for having us Annalise We'll take our leave now." Gaile said as he knelt down in front of the lantern and spoke out "To The Hunter's Dream." and as if in response the lantern began to glow brighter and brighter until with a blinding flash it returned to its original dim light, once she stopped shielding her eyes Annalise found that they had both gone... "Well then, that takes care of that." She said as she produced and cocked back the hammer on an Evelyn pistol and fired the shot at the lantern destroying it.

Elsewhere in The Hunter's Dream Nerco had awoken to a most peculiar sight, "Welcome home Good Hunter..." Said a calm and caring female voice that Nerco instantly recognized, she knew who it was, and she didn't want to look up and see her face. She felt that she didn't deserve to after what she had done so long ago. "And who might you be?" The familiar voice asked causing Nerco's heart to break even more "Don't play dumb like that you know full well who I am Maria" She said coldly looking up with tears welling in her eyes and that was when she saw it "Wait, you can't be her the Maria I knew would never dress like this, and she was-" She was silenced by a finger brushing against her lips shushing her "I don't know who this Maria you speak of is but I can assure you, I am not her, I am a Doll here in this Dream to look after the Good Hunter and embolden his sickly spirit." The Doll said softly as she lowered her finger and returned to stroking the sleeping Gaile's head which was rested on The Doll's lap, soon enough Gaile began to stir and she stopped "Ah, hello Good Hunter..." The Doll said as Gaile continued to rise from his slumber "Mmmh Ah, Doll how long was I out" At this she smiled "Only for about fifteen minutes Good Hunter" Seeing Nerco's smiling face she motioned for him to speak with her in private Following her through the gatway to the pale flowered field where he fought Gehrman they stood in the shadow of the Great Tree where Gehrman gave Gaile his offer of mercy "What is it you need to tell me that The Doll couldn't hear?" He asked in a confused tone "Well... its... ah, Gaile... You're going to be a father..."

To be Continued in Chapter 13 In which we move into the "Race to Ebrietas ARC."


	13. Chapter 13

Gaile stood still, saying nothing, he couldn't the shock was too great for him needless to say this worried Nerco. "Gaile? What's wr- mmph!?" she went wide eyed with surprise as Gaile silenced her with another kiss, holding her in a loving embrace which she returned with passion to match his. "I take it this means you're happy?" She asked once they broke away from each other. "Happy doesn't even begin to describe what I'm feeling right now." Gaile said as he lightly kissed her forehead as was his usual sign of affection for Nerco. Feeling their fatigue catching up to them they both laid down at the foot of the great tree next to Gehrman's old wheelchair that had since fallen into disrepair. Before long, even as he lay with Nerco curled up next to him sleeping soundly he lay awake knowing that there was something here of potential danger he was merely waiting for her to make a move. Before long "She" had, as the moon began to change colour from a milky white to a piercing bloody red and began to cast down crimson rays of bloody moonlight upon the field of white flowers that grew upon the small field surrounding the great tree. "I will never understand you Gaile..." A voice echoed with a sigh, followed by the materialization of a slender female figure within the crimson light "How you can possess a will stronger than mine own and leave the dreamscape at your own discretion... Is entirely beyond me. I mean, you were so content here!" The voice said in a raised tone as the female silhouette finally revealed its form, a slender woman with flowing black hair graced with the occasional fleck of bloody crimson in her ebony locks. She was clad in tattered black robes with red trim and inlaid designs upon their surrounding surfaces and decorated upon her form was brass plate armor forged in an oriental fashion it offered both great protection and further contributed to her stunning appearance. "what did you find in Loran that kept you away for so long?" She said with a tender smile already knowing the answer as she was after all the presence that lived within the moon. She saw everything that happened both within the dream, the nightmare, and the waking world. "I must admit she is quite the catch." The Moon Presence said knowingly to Gaile and the father of your child. She said as her silver eyes narrowed.

This caused Gaile to glare defiantly at her "I warn you now Flora, stay away from her I've killed Great Ones in the past and I'm fairly certain that I can handle the likes of you." Gaile said through his glare, golden yellow eyes burning with fire. At this however, Flora merely chuckled. "I don't see why your so tense around me Gaile after all, I am one of your closest allies, All hunters and huntresses are my children and though you kill each other with such viciousness I love you all the same." Flora said as her once benevolent expression turned to a hardened glare as she reached down with lightning speed grasping Gaile by the collar of his Jacket "Allow me to correct you though Gaile... You've killed a single Great One, and not even a mature one. What you killed within The Hunter's Nightmare was a tragic infant in the shape of a man, And while I weep for the fate that befell Kos The Scholars of Byrgenwerth brought the curse of The Nightmare upon themselves" She said as her silver eyes flashed red for a split second and in that fraction of time Gaile was instantly weakened he hadn't the strength to move and could only lay back and stare at her anger running rampant in his golden orbs as his pupils shifted into beastly slits "As for her..." Flora said staring down at the sleeping Nerco "While she may not be a hunter, I could tell from the day that you and her fought, when she had the chance to kill you, she couldn't bring herself to do it and spared you. The second time, she actually lost on purpose, she truly wished to know you more as you genuinely interested her. While she is no hunter, I must admit, she is most lovely, look at how she sleeps soundly and clings on to you, she truly loves you Gaile, for her sake and your own, be good to her. I've seen that you've played rough at times but she took it like a true hunter, hence my appreciation of her." As she spoke Gaile's nails sharpened into claws as the beast within rampantly clawed at the door to get out and attack this woman and breed her like the bitch she is, show her who was truly boss here within the dreamscape. As the thoughts continued to run in his head as he slowly changed further and further into a beast she noticed it, the bulge within his trousers and her benevolent smile returned albeit still with a hardened glare "Ah hah... What is this Gaile?" She said, not noticing the change in his eyes "Do you want me? Do you really think you can take me on and satisfy me?" She said with a smirk as she parted her robes just enough to tease the beast with a view of her flower glistening with centuries of desire. "Come now Gaile, We both know you wouldn't last ten seconds inside of me." Then she noticed them, a pair of bestial slits staring at her, golden eyes piercing her with his gaze and as soon as she saw them, her glare softened. "I see now this isn't you that wants me Gaile its your beast that wants to take me, to breed me just as it bred her." She said, looking at Nerco as she bent down and placed a hand on Gaile's chest and kissed him on the forehead "Let the raging blood of the beast be at rest, that this good hunter may dream in peace." She said as she rose back up with a benevolent smile as a single tear fell from her closed eyes. "Sleep now Good Hunter, you have earned this much. There is much you wish to discuss I know but for now you need to rest your weary soul I will still be here when you awaken."

Alone with her thoughts Flora found herself wondering "Just what was that? I haven't gotten aroused like that in centuries and yet here a damned Beast gets me wet just by showing interest in me. Am I really that desperate?" She thought to herself and then she thought on the past back when Hunters and Huntresses use to congregate within the dream she used to get bored merely watching over them and would sometimes walk among them never letting them know she was the great presence that lived within the moon. There were times when particular hunters would catch her eye she would always try to captivate them and take them with her into her realm within the moon but Gehrman would always stop her with the same statement "It's unwise for a Great One such as yourself to take mere hunters to your bed chambers even if they are particularly fetching, they'll never be able to keep up with you and you will grow angry at them for it." but those times were few and far between. Though now with Gehrman gone those times of being consoled by the ancient hunter were nonexistent. Flora was pulled from her thoughts by the shuffling movement of Gaile reawakening from his deep slumber "Welcome back Good Hunter." Flora said mockingly with her usual benevolent smile but was surprised to see that Nerco was beginning to stir in response to Gaile's movements "...Go back to sleep Gaile I was having good dream..." Nerco said sleepily as she cracked open a single violet eye only to see Gaile staring not at her but at something else. Waking up the rest of the way she focused her gaze in the direction Gaile was looking and saw nothing. "Gaile what are you looking at?" She asked confused and worried, "Oh... That's right you cant see her." Gaile said slowly "Not unless I want her to." Flora said as she began to fade into view for Nerco having bestowed upon her the insight to perceive her presence. "And you are?" Nerco asked defensively, "I am the Great One that Laurence referred to as the Moon Presence, Though you may call me Flora, Gaile does." She said the last part flatly as if disinterested.

The mention of the term Great One instantly made Nerco's blood freeze as she went for her Rakuyo ready to fight to protect both her freedom and her unborn child but Gaile stayed her hand causing her to look at him in surprise "Gaile what are you doing She's a Great One! A deity that would see our child taken from us!" She almost screamed but was stopped by sudden speech "I have no reason to covet your child, as I have my surrogate, even if he doesn't return any affection I show I will still love him for as long as I continue to draw breath" Flora spoke out calmly even though Nerco's words did hurt somewhat. Though not so much that she would act out of spite, she didn't like to be that kind of being she wished above all else to be a benevolent, caring being just as Kos was. As to this day, She still mourns the death of Kos and holds in her heart a particular resentment for Hunters and Huntresses of The Healing Church and The Choir although she doesn't hold much of anything against The Order of Mensis, she keeps tabs on them all the same though, she was pulled from her thoughts once again by Gaile's voice calling to her for about the sixth time now by Gaile's count "Huh, wha? Ahm, I'm Sorry Gaile, I was lost in my thoughts, what do you need?" She said with a genuine smile. "I wanted some insight on The Choir and Mensis, I'd like to know what their planning and when they plan to mobilize to capture us cause I have no doubt in my mind that they somehow know that Nerco is pregnant now." At this Flora nodded curtly and raised her hand out of the sleeve of the robe hanging open off of her shoulder and produced three orbs that looked like miniature moons they began to swirl with black mist as present both visual and auditory feedback Gaile and Nerco stared first into the centremost orb and saw Onnen and Thaeon walking the corridors of Lower Loran.

Onnen looked annoyed as a scowl graced her features while an angry looking Thaeon trailed behind her. "I still can't believe you knocked me out!" He said in an annoyed tone "What would you have had me do Thaeon? I'm waiting for an honest answer!" Onnen said as she rounded on a heel finally stopping to talk to him "I don't know, tell me NOT to look? or drag me by the collar, anything would have been better THAN KNOCKING ME OUT!" Thaeon shouted the last part, his voice reverberating off of the walls causing her scowl to deepen into a glare "You pervert, you only wanted to see her naked... she's like our little sister, that's wrong" Thaeon had nearly had enough. "And what about us? what am I to you? your training mannequin? to punch at your leisure?" He said as his true feeling began to come out "I didn't become a keeper with you and Nerco just so you could treat me like that, you always look down on me. What have I done to make you hate me so?" At this Onnen's expression switch from angry to calm and then nervous and then she lets out a defeated sigh "Thaeon... I never looked down on you, you know that I'm just pulling your strings to get a reaction out of you right? You're just so easy to piss off" she said honestly which aggravated Thaeon even more "Oh and you call me childish!" which only served to anger Onnen again "Dammit Thaeon, can you just take a hint? I like you okay!?... dammit... I don't just like you... I do more than just like you." Thaeon's face went from anger to confusion in that instant "Uhhh what? You actually like me that much?" Thaeon asks incredulously as Onnen grabs the collar of his jacket without warning and pulls him into a rough but passionate kiss, "Yes... I-" She struggled with saying the words. "Thaeon I... I love you..." She said finally, Unable to contain himself any further Thaeon pulled Onnen into a tight embrace kissing her with fierce passion, a gesture which she returned with equal passion. Breaking for air Thaeon spoke, "Onnen... Am I really enough for you? Is this what you really want" Onnen's response was to pull him into another kiss "Does that answer your question? You idiot." She says it in a loving tone which up until this point Thaeon had never heard. Back in The Hunter's Dream Nerco and Gaile were surprised and amazed "Hmmm I was wondering when these two were finally going to do that, it took over seven hundred years but hey, it finally happened" Nerco said with a small smile "Well, better late than never eh?" Gaile said with a smirk in Thaeon's direction. As they continued to stare into the sphere, and before long Flora joined in.

 **Watch out everyone you are entering a Lemon Area, you may encounter strong sexual content.**

Onnen and Thaeon had finished walking to her quarters within Lower Loran thankful to find that none of the lower ranking keepers were present and the kennels where the hounds were kept were empty "Seems as though the others are out and about so we'll have some privacy." Onnen said as she began to undress herself undoing the clasps of her cuirass, letting it fall to the stony floor with an audible clang followed by her Bone Ash Mantle which fell from her slender form and draped over the white sinewy cuirass. She soon undid the clasps on the underarmor she was wearing, a thin but flexible tunic made of Bone Ash that was capable of stopping most attacks cold in their tracks the garb hugged her form snugly and as it fell from her shoulders her breasts fall forward only to be kissed by the cold air of the Loran Keeper's barracks. Surprisingly enough even though she is older and taller, her breasts aren't as large as Nerco's to which she always felt a small bit of envy. Feeling Thaeon's eyes roaming she modestly covers them as a blush creeps over her face "Are you just going to stand there Idiot? Start taking your clothes off too!" She said with a sigh to which Thaeon complied, taking off the heavy bone ash jacket he was almost always seen wearing finding that like Onnen, he too wore a underarmor tunic made of Bone Ash undoing the clasps on its front it fell from his shoulders but what truly surprised Onnen was the myriad of scars that traced all around his form Onnen too carried scars from her battles but she never would have dreamed that Thaeon had this many lining his body "Thaeon, what are all these scars from?" She asked in a sad tone as she looked over the hundreds of wicked looking scars that traced his back, his chest, and arms and a rather nasty looking one across his neck that was usually hidden from view by the collar of his jacket "What did that to you?" Onnen asked pointing at the ragged scar on his neck to which he responded with a sigh.

"Tomb Prospector with a Threaded Cane. Fucking bastard surprised me while I was on patrol about three years ago" He said sombrely "I was on patrol with Mina at that time and... well you know that she never made it back and I had never really talked about what happened even when you tried your hardest to get me to speak about it. She didn't make it back because that piece of shit Tomb Prospector killed her the only reason he didn't finish me was because he thought I would bleed out from my wound. I dont know why but blood vials dont heal my injuries completely" He said as he fumbled with the annoying clasps on his belt, unlike most keepers who wore the traditional bone ash created by the great ones, Thaeon wore ordinary hunter gear with bone ash plates attached to it. Finally, he managed to undo the clasps on the belt as he pulled it from the loops on his trousers and let them fall around his ankles "But they do speed up my natural healing a thousand fold." He said as Onnen began to disrobe the rest of the way removing the rest of her clothing and letting it fall around her until she stood before Thaeon clad only in her underwear and stockings which made Thaeon's already hardening member grow even more as the blood rushed to it Hearing footsteps coming into the barracks Onnen and Thaeon quickly hid themselves but in their haste they forgot to grab their clothes but it was too late as a lower ranking Keeper walked into the barracks after returning his two patrolling hounds to their space in the kennel letting out a low yawn and stretching he walked further into the when he noticed the two haphazard piles of clothing in the middle of the barracks in front of Captain Onnen's desk "Huh, these belong to Captain Onnen and Lieutenant Thaeon... What are they doing here in the middle of the flo- Grrrrk!" he didn't have time to react as a bone crushing kick was delivered to the back of his neck knocking him unconscious to which Thaeon responded "Man, I feel sorry for him, but still wrong place wrong time." As he bent over and picked the young keeper up and placed him in his cot. "He's going to feel that when he wakes up Onnen." Onnen responded with a curt nod before grabbing her pile of clothes and walking into her quarters with the door left ajar, Thaeon merely stood there watching as she went before he suddenly heard her speak "Thaeon are you coming?" he immediately picked up his clothing and started walking toward the open door "Yeah, I am." He said as he shut the intricately carved oak door and locked it behind him. Nerco decided she had seen enough and looked at Gaile with a nod who returned the gesture "Flora could you close this one off They deserve to have some privacy..." She nodded in response and with a wave of her hand the orb collapsed in on itself. "Although, that Keeper is going to be in a world of hurt when he wakes up" Nerco said as she wiped a bead of sweat off her forehead.

Back in the barracks in Onnen's quarters Thaeon was greeted with a most enticing sight Onnen was laying on her bed completely undressed save for her stockings waiting patiently for Thaeon who stood deathly still, staring at the sight as his member hardened again standing in full salute which made Onnen let out an uncharacteristic giggle. Walking over to the bed Thaeon climbed in and lay next to Onnen who was about to take the lead but Thaeon was faster as he pulled Onnen into another passionate kiss as they got into a tangle of limbs breaking for air Onnen instead traced a loving but sensual lick along Onnen's neck making her shiver in pleasure at the unexpected contact. Thaeon never had much confidence in himself when it came to women but seeing Onnen squirming under him the way she was only served to push him on. There were other women in the barracks besides Onnen of course and many of them on more than one occasion asked the lieutenant to go out once they were free for the evening but he always declined saying he already had someone in his heart he just didn't know if she felt the same way about him, until now at least. Moving on from his thoughts, he continued his actions trailing light kisses down her chest, she had half expected him to stop at her breasts but he didn't his trail of kisses kept on going down her abdomen to her inner thighs the closer he got to her womanhood the more she tensed up he could feel the tension so he stopped and looked up at her and she spoke "I.. This isn't my first time Thaeon..." The indifferent look on his face told her he could care less, and then he said it "You make it sound like that would be a big deal to me... I'm happy just being with you Onnen I've sat on the sidelines for over seven hundred years because I was afraid you wouldn't return my feelings if I showed them." He said to her, as her eyes widened "All this time I've been holding my feelings back because-" He was stopped when Onnen rose up and caught him in a passionate kiss, silencing him. "You dont have to say anything else... you idiot... I already told you didn't I? I love you Thaeon." She said as over seven hundred years of suppressed feelings rushed to the surface overpowering her as tears of joy that should have flown long ago began to roll down her cheeks as she held the kiss with Thaeon, never wanting it to end. As she began to lie back down, Thaeon moved with her holding the kiss until they had to break for air when she felt it, the tip of Thaeon's member pressing at the entrance of her womanhood Thaeon held her gaze with a look that said "Is this what you really want?" and she gave a nod as he leaned forward catching her in another kiss as he slowly but gently slid into her moist folds, earning a light but honest moan from Onnen as they were united looking to Onnen for permission which was received with a nod Thaeon began to pull himself out of her until just his tip remained inside and then pushed himself back into her depths drawing out another moan from his lover while Thaeon would never say it out loud he was enjoying himself just as much as Onnen was, she felt amazing to him and it took everything he had not to cum inside of her right then. Onnen however, was sure the expressions on her face were a dead giveaway that she was in heaven. While she had experienced this in the nightmare frontier she didn't truly enjoy it, her body simply betrayed her. This however, was a very different story unlike that thing which held no care in how it handled her Thaeon was making an effort to make sure she enjoyed herself and it didn't take much for him to see he was doing an excellent job and her pleasure only increased as he gained speed thrusting just a bit harder she noticed it almost immediately and knew he was holding back because he probably felt if he didn't he might end up hurting her.

Thaeon, its alright... You, Haah~ dont have to hold back trust me, you won't hurt me at all its no fun if only one of us is satisfied." she said as she leaned up to catch him in another kiss her tongue prodding at his lips begging for entry which he obliged as her tongue slithered past his lips and began to tangle with it fighting for dominance overall enjoying his taste, not willing to be outdone Thaeon returned the gesture and began to wresting with her muscular tongue, as he too enjoyed her taste breaking for air Thaeon picked up his speed as Onnen began to breathe harder and moan louder unable to hold himself back anymore he began to withdraw but she was having none of it as she closed her legs around his back refusing to let him go "Thaeon... Inside. I want to feel you, ...all of you." she said as she allowed her legs to relax as he once again picked up his speed and began kissing her womb with every thrust with a low groan he unleashed himself inside of her the flooding warmth of his seed spilling inside of her sending her over the edge into a powerful orgasm that caused a rippling motion in the muscular walls of her folds almost as if she was trying to milk out every last drop of him feeling him begin to soften inside of her she leaned up one last time as sleep began to take her and kissed him with unending love and passion that could set the entire room ablaze "I love you... So much Thaeon..." She said when she broke the kiss Thaeon returned the gesture and kissed her with passion to match her own "I love you too Onnen" He said as he too began to lose himself to sleep, and so the curled up in each others embrace as Thaeon pulled the covers of Onnen's bed over them, his semi hardened member still buried inside of her. Unknown to them however, Their act of love would have dire consequences as his seed fertilized the dormant egg that was still resting within her womb.

 **Lemon End.**

Elsewhere, Gaile and Nerco were looking in on the other two spheres watching the two factions plan their movements in efforts to capture Nerco and kill off Gaile unaware that the two knew their plans and would be able to counteract them as a result.

To be Continued in Chapter 14 where we officially move into the "Race to Ebrietas ARC"


	14. Chapter 14

**I'm sorry that this took me so long to get done but I wont give you guys an excuse for why I went so long without updating, I procrastinated ALOT. and then I finally decided to just get off my ass and finish this thing I mean I literally have 11 more chapters and then this story is done :P**

 **but, without further ado. Let's Begin Chapter 14.**

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After Flora had closed the sphere that allowed them to see how Onnen and Thaeon were fairing they were still looking for information to give themselves an advantage over the immense numbers that both The Choir and The Order of Mensis had, Gaile peered into the next sphere and saw what appeared to be a gathering of White Clerics standing among a seated council of finely dressed men and women clad in hooded white robes with red sashes tied at the waist, which was overlooking a small army of lesser ranked Black Clerics all was silent until one spoke from beneath his hooded cowl, "According to my agents and intelligencers within Mensis' ranks it would seem that the Keeper has fallen pregnant by the Hunter. Which in turn means that that pit of monstrosities no longer serves us any purpose." He paused before continuing "Furthermore, Intelligencer Edgar has reported that the Keeper has made mention of Ebrietas, Daughter of the Cosmos I believe it is fair to assume that the Keeper will look to her for safety." The apparent council member finished as another began to speak his piece.

"The pit will serve its purpose, when she gives birth to the child that already grows within her womb. Assuming the birth comes without complications..." he finished and looked to the next member beside him who had started to speak but was cut off by an unknown voice to his direct left. "What of the Hunter? Not only is he impossible to kill by normal means, but he is also a skilled fighter and will die as many times as needed to ensure her safety." One of the standing clerics spoke garnering the attention of the seated council members "Who are you to speak out of context like this. We did not ask for your opinion." One of the seated women spoke with a firm yet understanding tone. To which the cleric responded with a swift apology and bow as he began to take his leave from the council chamber to join the others below. "Forgive me… I was out of line and it wont happen again..." at which the center most councilman replied

"No… No it wont." He said as he fired a quick burst from a Reykjavik Gasmaschinenpistole from under the sleeve of his robe shooting the man in the head several times with pinpoint accuracy. "You two gentlemen, take 'that'" he said pointing the pistol at the dead body. "to the pit, our lovely creations are without a shadow of a doubt famished." He said before suddenly looking right in Gaile's direction startling him and almost making him fall backwards before he spoke "We should reconvene elsewhere my friends, For I fear we aren't among our own here." as he stood to take his leave the woman seated next to him spoke "Sebastien was right you know, he may have spoken out of line but he still hit the nail on the head" her words stopping the man cold as he looked at her over his shoulder and spoke "Be that as it may..." He paused for a moment starting to walk off again. "Hrmmmph. Do as you will, I have business in the Research Hall."

Gaile blinked for just a moment before closing the view off and muttering under his breath "Just what the hell was that… It was like he looked straight at me."

Elsewhere Nerco was currently watching in on The Order of Mensis at their headquarters in Yahar'gul where a gathering of The Order's High Stratum were beginning to take their respective seats, once all were seated, the meeting began. "As we may have already realized, we could still persuade the keeper to come to us, however it's very unlikely but not impossible." One spoke from beneath the wide brim of his hat. "As for the hunter, while he can be killed by conventional means, he will continuously come back to life because of the Hunter's dream. And so, this is why I would suggest that we capture him instead, if we do so, the keeper will come to us, she will do anything to remain close to him." He finished as he looked to his immediate left and motioned for the man seated next to him to speak his piece. "You presume too much, the only reason you would suggest this is because that hunter killed your son, and now, you wish only to torture him while he's trapped in a cage, if that's what you want, you might as well join those fools in The Choir. The Keeper will listen to the hunter's bidding, if he is captured, he will bid her to flee and she will do so, reluctantly but will do it regardless. We should focus our efforts on what she mentioned, Ebrietas, the daughter of Cosmos." The man finished before the older man once again spoke from beneath his hat never looking up at the others as he held in his hand the amulet that his son wore. "Indeed, though this raises the question, why would she offer them sanctuary? is it merely a play from her to have an easier access to the child? or is it truly genuine compassion?" He finished before looking over across the table as a metal gauntlet clad fist slammed down on the table in anger. "ENOUGH! It is of no matter! If she stands in our path, we will do what we must. As for the hunter, ensuring that he causes no trouble to us is vital, however Richter, putting him in a cage for you to torment is out of the question, we will come to a solution later, for now, we must focus on acquiring the Keeper." The armor clad man finished as he calmed himself before Richter spoke in a deathly calm tone that made the other seated members look at him with slightly fearful expressions "You gentlemen can do as you wish but the hunter is mine and I wont be denied my revenge." The man said as he stood, and walked out of the meeting Beasthunter Saif in hand the tattered coat tails of his old hunter garb following behind him, before long the armor clad man from before spoke again.

"God damn him!" he shouted as he once again buried his fist in the table "That stubborn son of a bitch is going to get himself killed looking for that damned hunter!" before a woman in vibrant bloody red hunter garb who was seated at the table spoke "Richter is one of our strongest, even more-so than his own son. I have confidence and faith in my lover that he will return victorious." She spoke with confidence. "Will you not do the same gentlemen?" Another, deeper voice spoke out as a man clad in a Cainhurst Knight's helmet stepped into the room and into the light further revealing his appearance he was wearing the light green garb of the Healing Church's Tomb Prospectors, she knew it by heart as she had dealt with more than a few in her time as a guardian. What she saw next both intrigued and frightened her as she saw the unmistakable intricate weaving of Boneash Gauntlets on his arms and lastly, he was wearing a plain old pair of Hunter's Trousers fixing his unseen eyes on the red clad woman he then spoke "Oedon, its been too long" the revelation causing the sitting council members to all look in her direction awestruck, as they stood in the presence of a great one. Oedon however, glared in annoyance at the helmet clad man "Nice to see you to Mr. Jainkoaren" She said as she casually looked in Nerco's direction and winked and blew a mock kiss to her. She was pulled from her spying by a light tap on the shoulder by Flora.

"Nerco, as much as I hate to do it I'm going to have to close this off lest she find you both." She said motioning at her stomach, much to Nerco's irritation. "The child hasn't even formed yet there's no possible way she could sense us both!" she said with a raised voice. "You don't know Oedon like I do Nerco, She's got a unique way of sensing things." she paused before continuing "She almost locked onto you and would have breached this place if I hadn't pulled you away." Elsewhere with Richter after he walked out of the meeting before its conclusion he had bumped shoulders with Mr. Jainkoaren, an enigmatic man who had recently become a major benefactor to the order. After a quick apology he went on his way. Walking forward and around the corner of the long corridor he had stopped at his quarters and went inside locking the door behind him, only stopping when he was in front of a locked storage chest that held trinkets and trophies from his time as a servant of The Hunter's Dream. There seemed to be no way to open the chest as it had a metal plate that sealed the chest shut, engraved on it was the symbol of The Hunter.

Removing the glove from his right hand, he bit down on his thumb with his elongated canines, the only proof he has that he was ever a Hunter, besides the piercing glare that all hunters and huntresses share in common, once the blood began to pour from his punctured thumb he smeared some on the metal plate and like acid it began to eat away at the metal breaking the seal and allowing Richter to open the engraved oak chest. Inside among many hunter trinkets, he produced a small wooden box with a similar seal on it. Once again smearing his blood on the seal it popped open slightly and inside was what looked to be a Bold Hunter's Mark, but this was very different to the common hunter tool, this piece of parchment was a deep bloody red with the Hunter rune glowing so brightly that it actually emitted a small amount of light. "The Great One Hunter's Mark, my greatest achievement as a hunter. Now it finally serves a purpose..." He muttered as he packed the rolled up parchment into the lining of his jacket and left his quarters only to find some long lost friends waiting at his door. "Ah… it's been a long time my old friends." He said greeting the childlike messengers that he hadn't seen since he was severed from the dream after completing his hunt many lifetimes ago. Walking past them he felt a tugging on the leg of his pants and looked down to see one of them holding on for dear life the rest begging him not to go through with his plan. "I am sorry my old friends but this is something I have to do..." He said as he wrenched his leg free of their grip and continued onward stepping into the chapel and kneeling at the lantern that for him wouldn't light at least not anymore. "You will light the way for me… One last time..." He said coldly as he lit the piece of parchment on fire and set it inside the lantern casing "To The Hunter's Dream..." The others burst into the sealed chapel in time to see him vanish. "GOD DAMN HIM!" the armored brute screamed slamming his fist into the wall "Easy there Lanius, you're going to have a heart attack if you keep up like this." Spoke another councilman behind him. "Calm down my friend…" He said, resting a hand on the towering man's shoulder. Just then a raven flew through one of the open windows in the chapel and landed on the mans forearm clutched in its talons was a rolled up message "Sebastien is dead, he was found out at some mount and killed." the message read and the councilman fell to his knees with a grief stricken expression on his face.

The Dreamscape was just as Richter remembered it, there were small gardens everywhere, "Likely the Doll's doing..." He thought to himself. Then he noticed her, Sitting on the small outcropping next to the staircase that led up to the workshop, fast asleep. "She's still here after so much time..." He muttered under his breath as he silently walked up the winding staircase and peered inside the slightly ajar door. "There you are you son of a bitch" He said just a little louder than he had wanted to startling the Doll from her slumber "Good Hunter?" Hearing her voice, he turned to face her "Ah! ...Richter? But… how?" She asked in shock at this point Flora looked up, something didn't feel right. There was someone here besides the three of them and the Doll. "Gaile, Nerco be on guard there's someone here that doesn't belong..." She said as she vanished in a flash of bloody red moonlight. "Nerco go hide I know you want to help me fight but please… for our child do as I ask..." Gaile said firmly as he walked out the side entrance locking eyes with Richter as he went toward the large meadow where he fought Gehrman. With hatred glaring in his eyes Richter followed silently before stopping to ask him "Why here?" to which Gaile turned from his place next to Gehrman's wheelchair "Because I know you wish to have revenge for your son. I know that I have wronged you and for that I apologize but you and your fellows and The Order of Mensis need to leave us alone or many more than just your son are going to die." Gaile said flatly locking the Burial Blade into it's Scythe form as Richter followed suit unfolding his Saif into a Sabre.

Back in Yahar'gul, Oedon was walking the corridor when she heard another of Lanius' angry outbursts "GOD DAMN HIM!" she heard the shout and walked around the corner to see Lanius comforting his friend and hunting partner once he had received the news of his brother's death at the hands of The Choir "Whats the matter with you two ...and where is Richter… he wasn't in his quarters when I looked there" The mere mention of his name earned a hateful glare from Lanius as he gestured toward the flickering lamp. "He went home." He said flatly.

With Gaile and Richter the fight was well into its adolescence as both were covered with deep wounds and gunshots but Richter was older, more experienced and not to mention faster. As he dashed toward Gaile folding his Saif as he did so catching Gaile in a flurry of slashes and stabs before Gaile countered with a switch, sending Richter flying across the bloodied meadow as he broke the Burial Blade back down into a Sabre only for it to be knocked from Gaile's hand by a well placed gunshot from Richter as he dashed forward to claim his revenge only for Gaile to grab his wrist and break it forcing him to drop his Saif, Gaile followed with a vicious kick to his knee breaking his leg and making him fall backward only for Gaile to grab the Saif as it fell to the ground and impale him on its extended blade "This is it for you Richter… Go and join your son in hell." He said as he viciously ripped the serrated Saif out of Richter's abdomen, His golden eyes narrowed to slits as the beast within became more and more excited. It was the terrified screaming of Nerco that brought him back to his senses.

With Oedon's arrival into the dream she immediately started searching for Richter's Pulse as their bond allowed them to feel one anothers presence so long as both continued to draw breath she watched with concealed presence as the fight unfolded Richter scoring the first set of hits against Gaile never letting up and on occasion Gaile would counter with a well placed switch or reverse attack not really injuring Richter but rather giving himself some room to breathe… That is until Gaile's aura began to turn sinister and dark as he actually started hitting Richter back, trading blows with him on several occasions and then it happened Gaile killed Richter with the merciless ferocity that only a beast would show picking him up by the neck and bringing him in to feed she noticed his lover, The Keeper hiding away in a small alcove deciding she could take whatever punishment Vridd decided to inflict upon her she materialized in an explosion of blood and red mist in front of Nerco, Her piercing red eyes set in slits as she glared murderously at her as a mass of fleshy red tentacles exploded from Oedon's back and flooded out from under her coat wrapping Nerco in the coils she was able to let out a single scream of terror before a large red tentacle was stuffed into her mouth to silence her.

"That's enough out of you." She said through her glare as the red tendrils started snaking all around her seemingly tasting her skin, their texture was reminiscent of a tongue and she shivered in revulsion and then let out a gasp as one dove under her armor and began prodding and stroking her left breast teasing her ever so slightly as a devilish smirk graced the red clad woman's features. "Enjoying ourselves are we?" She asked in a malicious, yet sultry tone as another tentacle snaked around her thigh and started rubbing itself on her outer lips earning a deep blush and a light squeak from Nerco. She braced for it, the feeling of that thing pushing its way into her, but it never came, instead she fell to the floor in a shower of blood as all the tentacles that were suspending her above the ground and playing with her had been severed by a single attack causing the woman to let out a scream of agony

"Leave her… alone." Gaile said venomously as he stood between Nerco and the Woman with Richter's Saif in hand and the Burial Blade slung across his back. Sensing a presence behind her the woman turned on a heel just in time to block a flurry of slashes from Flora's blood red Zanbatō she skidded backward with a wide eyed look of fear on her face as she locked eyes with Flora's murderous glare "This realm is mine Oedon… You shouldn't be here." She said as she readied her weapon for another attack "I came here looking for my mate but your …Child has already killed him." She said as she glared murderously at Gaile. To Nerco's Shock the tentacle that were still coiled around her melted into blood and rushed back to Oedon "It was fun playing with you Keeper, we're going to have to pick up where we left off some other time" she said with the same devilish smirk from before as she too began to melt into a puddle of oozing blood that faded out of existence. But not before leaving an ominous warning for the three "A mate for a mate Good Hunter watch her closely because I will have her sooner than you think..." Turning back around to face Nerco, Gaile found she was curled into a ball shivering in disgust and revulsion at what almost happened to her. When Gaile knelt down to touch her she nearly burned him as a shockwave of fire blasted out from around her forcing him back. It was at this moment that she came out of her stupor with wide tearful eyes "Gaile! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean t- mmph" Once again she was silenced with a tender kiss that she returned once more with tenderness to match "I'm sorry..." She said once more. "It's okay Nerco, you didn't hurt me." He said as he held her in a loving embrace that both tugged at Flora's Heartstrings and at the same time made her jealous of what she could never have with Gaile.

After breaking from his embrace with Nerco, Flora suddenly spoke catching his attention. "Gaile you're going to need something much stronger than the Burial Blade if you want to take on someone like Oedon" Looking at her and then back to Nerco he nodded "You're right but where and how do I find something like that, and don't you dare suggest I use Ludwig's Sword, that 'thing' made him into the monster he was when I fought him in the nightmare." He said with nothing held back. That is until Nerco decided to speak. "Gaile… I could forge a new weapon for you, after all I made Onnen and Thaeon's swords Muramasa and Yasutsuna" She said looking at him with an unreadable expression. "Its a forging process I use called Soul Synthesis and I have just the soul in mind to forge a new weapon. So, let me have the Burial Blade and Richter's Saif" She said as she whispered a short incantation as a large forge began to form in midair as it was beckoned from the Ashen Void by Nerco the gate sealed itself and an impenetrable veil of nightmare fog surrounded Nerco as she worked in secret using a technique that the uninitiated are not permitted to witness.

Hours passed and without warning the veil of fog dispersed and Nerco walked through the gate carrying a cloth wrapped bundle in the shape of a sword. Passing it to Gaile who slowly undid the binding cords that held the heavy cloth wrapping in place unveiled what Nerco could say without a doubt was her finest work. "This Gaile, Is the Crissaegrim" She said as she held out her hand "But its not complete I still have to synthesize a soul into it to permanently temper the blade into this form" pulling from the Ashen Void a withered bell that appeared to be made of Boneash she rang it thrice and spoke a name "Markus Akabane." Before long a figure of pale blue mist began to form eventually taking the shape and appearance of the maggot who tried to rape her in Old Yharnam.

"The Hell? ...Oh, its you again" He said spitting in the direction of Nerco's feet which she ignored.

"You've been chosen to serve a higher purpose." She said with a satisfied tone as she speared her hand into the ethereal figure causing him to gasp out in surprise "What the hell are you doing to me?!" He asked in genuine fear and a terrified scream as Nerco forced his now shining form into blade of The Crissaegrim.

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 **To Be Continued in Chapter 15 where they finally begin to move to Ebrietas's lair**


	15. Chapter 15

With the Soul Tempering Synthesis completed, the blinding blueish white glow of the Crissaegrim's brilliantly polished blade died down to a dull mirror reflective bluish silver. Satisfied with her work, Nerco took several steps back and gave a curt nod to Gaile who was about to give his new weapon an experimental swing before she dashed forward to stop him with a wide eyed expression. "Not here, you'll tear the place apart!" she said with a slightly raised voice as Gaile lowered the blade back down to his side and running it smoothly into the beautifully forged scabbard that Nerco worked just as hard to fabricate as she did the blade itself. "If I may Gaile," Flora said catching both their attention. "I know where you could go to test out your new toy." She said earning a piercing glare from Nerco. "This blade is no toy Flora, in fact its anything but..." She said in an indignant tone as she turned on a heel to face Gaile who signed at the two. "I swear I don't know if you two are going to make out or kill each other sometimes!" He finished with a second, exasperated sigh as he headed for the one of the headstones that lined the staircase into Gehrman's old study where he more often than not found himself working to further empower his weapons when he came across the crafting materials and blood stones needed to do so. Realizing what she said had hurt Nerco, Flora was quick to apologize. "Nerco, I'm sorry… I never meant to offend you, don't get me wrong this is a beautiful sword that I dare say is far more beautiful than my own." She said with a genuine smile and some encouragement to see the blade for herself. With a nod, Nerco took the sheathed zanbatō from her gently cupped hands and slowly drew the immaculate crimson blade, and was shocked to find that the blade had a lattice formation that spanned the length of the blade, save for its edge which was solidly forged. The blade measured a total eighty-five inches in length and the scabbard a mere forty-five. "There's a pocket void inside the scabbard that the length of the blade rests inside of." She said upon noticing Nerco's confused features, "But how did you draw it so fluidly against Oedon the sword is much too long for you to be able to draw it like that reliably." She said, bewildered as she stared at the near impossible length of the sword. "Ahm… Yes, about that." Flora said as she carefully took the sword and scabbard back from Nerco. "I can will the scabbard of this blade into and out of existence at the mere thought, that's how I drew the weapon against her so quickly, the sword was already drawn from the beginning." She said as she sheathed the blade in a beautiful show of skill and mastery of her weapon and at the mere thought of it the weapon in its scabbard disappeared in a haze of blood red mist.

Looking closer at the bundle of cloth that Nerco had wrapped his sword in he soon noticed that it was a black leather duster like the one he had back in the nightmare frontier before he was frenzied by the Amygdala. "Did she make this… for me?" Gaile thought to himself as he pulled the jacket over his form noticing the intricate detail that Nerco had inlaid into it with bone ash which began to glow a burning ember orange in response to being worn by him. Silently walking behind Nerco Flora noticed him in the jacket which she smiled warmly at causing Nerco to look at her with a confused expression for a few moments before she turned around to see what Flora was looking at, only for her to be captured in Gaile's loving embrace as she found herself in a passionate kiss with Gaile. Breaking from the kiss she gave him a good once over as she examined her work on his form. "It looks really good on you Gaile..." She said with a blush to which he responded by catching her in another embrace, this time kissing her on the forehead. "Thank you, Nerco I love it." He said with his usual genuine warmth, "But not as much as I love you…" he said again making Nerco's already deep blush even deeper as she was pulled into another embrace. He broke off the embrace as he walked back toward the tombstones next to the staircase before walking into the workshop and out the other side door kneeling down in front of the sixth gateway stone "To the Hunter's Nightmare." He said aloud as an unnatural bloody red aura began to surround him as the usual white motes of light that surrounded him when he travelled to the waking world were replaced with unsettling black ones that seemed to drain the light and life from anything that they were in the presence of. "Gaile... Wait! Why are you going th-" Nerco tried to ask as she was stopped from going after him by Flora, "That's the best place he can go to test out that sword you forged for him, a hostile unforgiving place, filled to the brim with aimless blood drunk hunters that once called this dream home before they fell to the wondrous strength granted them by the Old Blood."

She said with a cold unfeeling tone of voice that somewhat scared Nerco. Elsewhere with Gaile, the lantern in the nightmare began to glow dimly glowing ever brighter until finally in a tell-tale blinding flash of pale, purplish white light, he was deposited into the once familiar nightmare equivalent of Oedon Chapel. "Never thought I'd have a reason to come back here..." He thought aloud to himself as he walked outside the ruined building and to his left up a winding path, where he spotted his first would be victims had something not killed them first. That something was a man clad in the garb of the old hunters of Gehrman's age his eyes set in a piercing glare, with golden shaded eyes to match his own, the difference here was the set of his pupils, they were slitted like that of a beast as he walked round the corner staring the two beasts down as they rushed him with intent to kill, he responded in turn with a slight raise of his arm as his weapon, one Gaile had fond memories of, The Beast Cutter was cast out in a wide arc looking more like a whip than anything else and with a feral grunt he lashed the weapon in a horizontal sweep catching the two beasts in the path of the weapon, tearing them in half at the waist and splattering their blood on Gaile's boots causing him to look up at the Old Hunter with a raised eyebrow before his features set in a piercing glare that was rivalled only by Nerco's own. "Filthy rotten beasts." the man said as he retracted the beast cutter he was using before his gaze fell upon Gaile "Hrmmmm… A new face… Can't say I recognize ya." He said as he took a tall step towards Gaile, his Cutter resting over the back of his neck and right shoulder. "Come to join the hunt? There's plenty to go around." the man said with an outlined smile visible beneath the cloth mask covering the lower half of his face. Gaile looked him over, from beneath the brim of the Old Hunter's cap he was wearing atop his head, "Perhaps, though past visits here found your ilk to be less than hospitable" which the Old Hunter before him nodded to in understanding "True but you're not one of the others, we look out for our own here." He said as he gestured his beast cutter at Gaile's garb which had been mistaken for the garb of an Old Hunter.

"Fuck it." Gaile muttered under his breath as he began to reach his hand outward in an offered handshake, the other Hunter reached his own up to accept the gesture, "It's been a while since I've had a good hunt, I plan on enjoying th- Gaaarh!" He yelled out as Gaile, with unseen speed launched his hand forward spearing it into the Old Hunter's chest, "If it wasn't obvious by now, I'm not one of you." Gaile said as he looked up to let the hunter see his eyes which like his own, were set in bestial slits. "Agh… Well played… Damned beast..." He choked out as his world began to darken around him before he was violently tossed aside by Gaile as he wrenched his hand free from the Hunter's chest cavity. "William!" Another Hunter dressed and armed like him yelled out, lashing his Cutter and hooking it into the arch that Gaile was standing atop before he was pulled forward by its retracting force into a falling slash "Gods damned BEAST!" He roared in anger as Gaile deftly sidestepped the attack before backstepping with The Quickening to avoid his tell-tale second swing which was executed on a turn of his heel. As the effects of the quickening wore off he placed his hand on the cord wrapped hilt of The Crissaegrim and swiftly drew out the blade sending a silvery white shockwave out toward the Hunter that was engaging him. "Well that's new!" Gaile said aloud as he gave the blade another lazy swing and the same thing happened yet again. "Hmmmm" He hummed lowly as he fixed a deathly glare on the Hunter in front of him. And swung the sword in a series of fluid motions each one unleashing another shockwave and another cutting into the flesh of the hunter and spraying his blood in all manner of directions. "I'll kill you!" The Old Hunter screamed at him as he charged forward, Beast Cutter at the ready as he let loose one final swing that actually hit its mark, grazing Gaile across his shoulder earning a growl of pain from him and a satisfied smirk from the Old Hunter. "Finally got you." he said with a sigh as he fell forward, face down in a pool of his own blood. Gaile however, nonchalantly produced a blood vial from his belt and injected the contents into his thigh instantly repairing the damage dealt to his shoulder, he wasn't so much angry about his injury, what angered him so, was that the man had damaged the coat that Nerco had worked so hard on to ensure he was protected from his foes…

"She's going to be pretty upset with me about this..." Gaile said with a sigh.

Back in the Dreamscape with Nerco and Flora, they were biding their time by simply speaking to one another, Flora telling of her history and the founding of this dream, Nerco of course with hers and Onnen and Thaeon's decision to become Keepers, and the time they spent before time separated them for many a century. "Nerco I've been meaning to ask..." Flora started to say which despite appearances, Nerco had heard as she continued staring into the book she was reading which comically enough was one she said, that she would never read in her lifetime. "How to Pick Up Fair Maidens" Looking up from her reading she looked at Flora who decided then to finish speaking. "This might be a little personal for you but the curiosity is eating away at me..." She said piquing Nerco's interest, "What is it you want to know Flora..." She asked with an air of caution about her "Well… Ahm… What was your first time with Gaile like?" She asked, causing Nerco to deeply blush as she looked over at her with a wide eyed expression, "I... T-That's none of your business Flora!" She nearly shouted earning a bemused smile from Flora, who was enjoying seeing her get flustered like that as she found it cute. "Come now Nerco, I'll share some of my own, my very first if you give me yours." She said with a sly smile, which caused Nerco to glare daggers at her. "Not in this lifetime. Flora" She said as her blush deepened another shade. Deciding to give it one more go, Flora spoke once more. "I know you're embarrassed, but I swear to you, that only my ears will ever hear your words. You have my word." She said as she stood up and walked toward Nerco who was visibly shivering from the cold night air of the Dreamscape, "You're cold, don't try to hide it I'm not blind, I can see you shivering." She said as she enveloped Nerco in a warm and loving embrace. Which Nerco leaned into without any resistance as Flora's robes seemed to exude warmth.

"Look, if you really don't want to talk about it, that's fine. I just look out for my children. You've been good to Gaile, and for that I'm truly thankful." She said as she looked up at the moon she dwells within, watching over the inhabitants of the Dreamscape "I'm not trying to be spiteful or anything else, I just want us to know each other better, like a mother should know her daughter." At this Nerco's eyes widened as she looked up at Flora "Daughter?" To which she nodded "You are Gaile's mate and his lover, and by extension, you are my daughter, even if you aren't a hunter. It is of no matter to me." She said before looking Nerco in the eyes with a genuine loving expression, "As long as you continue to take care of Gaile, I will do the same for you. I promise." Letting out an exasperated sigh, Nerco finally spoke. "Alright, I give up." She said in a defeated tone as she hung her head, "I don't have the strength to argue with a Great One..." She said as she continued to absorb the warmth that Flora was seemingly generating. "My first time with Gaile?" She asked as Flora broke away much to Nerco's displeasure and took a seat in Gehrman's old study taking the time to breathe a bit of life into the dying fire that sat in the fireplace that Nerco took a seat in the chair next to. "Yes, and in return, I'll share my first time with you." Flora said with a smile, "Well… to be honest I knew what was going to happen but I wasn't any less scared..." She said as Flora began to speak "Now from my knowledge.. at this point I'm going to guess you were still… you know.. A" Flora started to speak before Nerco cut her off "Virgin? Yes… I was It was the one thing I had that I could give to someone I fell in love with." To which Flora smiled "But one thing is nagging at the back of my mind… Why Gaile? What made you choose him? I mean surely you had many interesting options in your centuries walking this world…" Nerco nodded in response "Yes… There were a lot of possible prospects but none that appealed to me… until Gaile that is" She finished as Flora started to speak again "How did you cope? Seeing all the others pairing up, if they did that is..." She finished as Nerco once again nodded, "The other Keepers did indeed pair up and they became lovers for all of time until either a transfer or death separated them, but that didn't stop them trying to find one another again, Also I coped because I had many a century to learn and explore my own body, what got me excited and what didn't." She said with a light chuckle which didn't go unnoticed by Flora. "Now, your turn Flora, Who was your first?" Nerco asked with a devilish smirk on her face. Which caused Flora to smirk in turn "Careful now Nerco, I know things that could get you off just from hearing them." She said as her smirk faded into a genuine smile. "But all the same… My first time was with..."

Back with Gaile in the Hunter's nightmare, He slowly walked toward an alter that reminded him of the one in the Grand Cathedral in the Cathedral Ward, "Up we go..." He said as he stepped onto the platform that that alter sat in the centre of, "The Research hall… This is a truly sad place to visit..." He said as he stepped off the platform and ascended a small staircase which led out into an impressively tall area with roughly six stories. "Alright… Best be on my way..." he said to no one in particular as he ascended the winding staircase that lead up to the upper floors of the Research Hall, Stopping at a massive pair of rusted iron doors that had once been sealed but were now open to reveal a single massive lumenflower that bobbed about as if it were alive. "Its about time we had a reunion..." He said as he walked up the short stairway into the large but open foyer of the Astral Clocktower, "Hello Maria..." Gaile said as he approached the seated figure at the other end of the foyer. The figure now revealed to be a woman who upon first glance one might mistake for The Doll in the Dreamscape, "You again..." She said as she stood up from her seat, although this time she left her Rakuyo leaning against the left hand side of her chair. "I see the words in the wind were true. My greatest pupil is with a Hunter… Though I never expected it would be you of all people Gaile Arkenmire..." Maria said as she let out a sigh. "How is she doing?" She asked with a slight frown unable to meet Gaile's eyes, "She's doing fine but I have some news for you." He said with a smile, and at this she looked up with a confused expression on her face "What news? What are you talking about Gaile?" She asked with a mild glare as she didn't like being kept in the dark regardless of the subject. "I'm going to be a father Maria." He said with a wide smile of pride that was offset by the shining golden hue of his eyes. "I'm happy for you Gaile… Who's the mother?"

At this, Gaile frowned ever so slightly, an expression which didn't go unnoticed by Maria which caused her to ask again with a bit more force behind her voice. "Gaile who's pregnant with your child, I'd like to know..." when he finally looked up and said a single word. "Nerco." Upon hearing the name of her pupil she nearly fell backwards but didn't thanks to Gaile reflexes dashing forward to catch her. "Gaile have you gone mad!?" She yelled at him "Or did you just not give a damn about the prophecy that is bound to her." The mere mention of that damned prophecy caused a piercing glare to manifest itself upon Gaile's features.

"Of course I give a damn!" He yelled right back at her, Taken aback by his unexpected response she instantly felt bad for her own outburst "Gaile… I'm sorry for yelling… I just don't want to see her get hurt." Hearing this from her Gaile's glare instantly softened "No, its alright Maria I just thought you'd want to know." He said and in response she gave a curt nod "I appreciate you coming here to share the news." an unexpected response that Gaile sighed at, "I'm not here just for that, unfortunately." He said sombrely "It's in regards to Gehrman… He's well" He started to say but was cut off by a voice he thought he would never hear again. "I'm what Gaile?" Instantly he spun on a heel to see The First Hunter walking towards him with a warm smile on his face "You didn't honestly think I was gone for good now did you?" Gehrman said warmly as he limped toward the two, he walked with a limp due to the early preventative amputation of his right leg, which was then replaced with the peg leg he walks on now. "Now what was the other bit, You said something was unfortunate?" He asked as he looked at Both Gaile and Maria, "Yes, about that I hate to ask but would you two be willing to have a sparring match with me?" He paused before continuing, "I recently came across a new weapon that I'd like to test out, but you see... Those blood drunk fools in the outer rim of the nightmare don't exactly make the greatest of sparring partners." Gaile said knowingly. Gehrman and Maria exchanged a look before nodding to one another, "Very well Gaile, let's see this new weapon of yours" Gehrman said with a sly smile as he drew His old scythe, The Burial Blade, into action, It was as well that Maria had retrieved her Rakuyo and drew it from its scabbard and took an offensive stance with the blade at the ready. "Alright then you two… This… Is the Crissaegrim." He said as he slowly but purposefully drew the immaculate silvery blue bladed Ōkatana from its Black pearl and bone ash inlaid scabbard sending a shockwave of pale blue energy at Gehrman as he did so, beginning the match between the three of them.

Once again in the Dreamscape with Flora and Nerco, We hear a shocked gasp from Nerco at the revelation of just who Flora's first lover was. "Wait a minute? Gehrman was your first? B-but he's" She started to speak before Flora cut her off "He got older yes I know, but in his prime he was truly gifted it was a shame he could never admit his feelings to that lovely student of his, Maria." Hearing the name of her teacher caused Nerco to look down at the ground in sadness as the sore memories of having to put down one of her oldest friends as well as her mentor when she succumbed to her own blood lust, before she could banish it to the back of her mind the memories came rushing to the surface in a blood stained flashback,

Nerco and Onnen rushed through the alleyways of Central Yharnam toward the raging fire in the centre of the city, following a trail of bloodshed and bodies as they went, "Nerco this is not the time for your emotions to get the better of you, I know many of these people were your friends but we have to stop her before she can do any more harm to those around her!" Onnen yelled out of the sound of the raging flames in the town Nerco simply nodded before dashing forward and taking the lead, she had a general idea of where they might find her, "Maria..." She thought to herself as she ran onward. Rounding the corner into the main square of Cathedral Ward Nero and Onnen came upon a grisly sight, they had found her but she was a shadow of the woman she once was drenched head to toe in the blood of her victims, he once platinum blonde hair was now stained scarlet as was her garb that was crafted in Cainhurst, "MARIA!" Nerco shouted out at her stopping her from bringing down her weapon and killing a young boy who couldn't have been much older than fifteen to sixteen years of age. Turning slowly Maria locked eyes with Nerco and Onnen, "You two… Why did it have to be you two… she asked no one in particular." Nerco looked at the shadow her mentor, a woman she once held in the highest regard and to this day still does, had become with tearful eyes, "This can't go on Maria..." Nerco started to say before Onnen cut her off "This madness ends tonight Maria. Calm yourself and come quietly..." She practically begged. "Please, we don't want to fight you..." The both said in unison, in a desperate attempt to reason with their mentor. "I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint the both of you, I'm too far gone to save now." She said sombrely, "Leave me now… While I still let you." She said as she turned her back to them, the boy from earlier having lost her interest. "As for you," she said turning her gaze on the boy "Child, Go… Now." Not needing to be told a second time he took off running as fast as his legs would carry him only for him to feel the tearing force of Maria's Evelyn as she shot him through the back. "Sorry, but I changed my mind." She said nonchalantly as she holstered her firearm, turning her attention back to the impressive fire she started in the square, she turned on a heel to block an unannounced attack from Onnen who had disappeared in a tuft of black smoke "I'm sorry that this happened to you of all people Maria..." She said as she looked her mentor in her pale green eyes "You have nothing to be sorry for Onnen… This is a fate no hunter can escape, it was always simply a matter of time before I fell to my own lust for blood..." Drawing out her Evelyn and throwing it into the fire, and drawing out her Rakuyo from its scabbard, "Let's end this..." She said with a saddened tone of voice. "Yes, let's." A slight sob of a voice choked out from behind her as she felt a familiar blade run her through from behind "Aaaagh!" Maria cried out, falling to her knees as he body began to glow and break down into motes of brilliant white light "Nerco, Onnen… Forgive me..." She said as she passed from this world with a faint smile on her lips.

"No! MARIA!" She cried out as she came back into consciousness from her nightmare she soon found found herself wrapped up in Flora's embrace, "there there.. It's okay it was all a dream Nerco..." She softly cooed trying to calm the frantic Keeper, Unable to hold back her emotions she buried her face in the crook of Flora's arm and let the tears flow. "Why?" She asked through her sobbing, "Maria was always so strong when it came to fighting off her thirst for blood, why did she give in then?!" Nerco asked no one in particular "Why not ask her yourself..." She heard Gaile's voice which announced his return to the Dreamscape, his jacket utterly shredded from his sparring match with Maria and Gehrman "Also there's someone here who would like to speak to you Flora..." Gaile said as he stepped to the side to allow Gehrman and Maria to walk forward out of the shadows of the workshop.


	16. Chapter 16

The Dreamscape was silent as the grave, not even the wind dare to blow in the present situation, as four beings stared one another down until finally the tense silence was broken. "Maria… But… H-how? I killed you… I cradled you in my arms as you left this world behind..." Spoke an awestruck Nerco. Maria remained unmoving for what seemed like an eternity before she finally blinked and with a curt nod to Nerco and Flora moved out of the shadows of the old workshop. "Indeed Nerco, but things are never that simple for hunters, even when they go mad with bloodlust as I did..." She said in her everpresent, calm demeanour, Calm that is, until she noticed her artificial doppelgänger sitting off to the left of Flora looking at her with a confused expression. "What… in the? Gehrman… you have some explaining to do." she said in the most polite tone of voice she could muster in her current state, only for her to turn around and find empty air where Gehrman once stood. Looking at Nerco, who nodded her head in a gesture that said "I'm not getting involved", then to flora who nodded in much the same way, with an exasperated sigh she looked at Gaile who shrunk under her glare and gave in telling her where he went off to hide. "Thank you Gaile. Ahm… excellent match by the way..." She said while walking away, a pleasant looking smile on her face that Gaile understood the sinister intentions behind. "Rest In Peace… Old Wonder." Gaile said under his breath. As he heard the distant scream of The First Hunter. Gaile was soon pulled from his thoughts by Nerco's voice. "Gaile, what happened to the jacket its in tatters!" She exclaimed as she got up with a light sigh "Come here… let me see what the damage is." She said lowly as she rolled her piercing violet eyes, Walking forward till she bid him to stay still she walked a slow circle around him taking note of each area that would need to be repaired and further strengthened, after a while she began to notice Gaile had a rather fearful expression on his face, "He's… afraid of me…" she thought to herself which both tugged at her heart and stung at the same time. "Gaile… I can fix this, its no trouble…" She said with a pause, "The thing I cant wrap my head around however, is why the jacket is in such a condition, I mean, you're very adept at dodging some of the fastest attacks in my own skill set without as much as a scratch on your person, and yet, here the jacket is in tatters." She paused again, "I understand if you were just testing it but so help me gods if you were just acting reckless because of how durable the material can be…" She walked off with letting an exasperated sigh. "I'll be back later Gaile, I believe Maria and I have some catching up to do." She said, as she walked out toward the field where she was previously resting with Gaile.

"But before I forget..." She paused, and turned back toward Gaile, "Let me mend that jacket." She finished, walking toward Gaile, as her hands began to glow the same ember orange as the bone ash inlaid designs on his jacket did when he first put it on resting her hand on the torn section on his shoulder the bone ash material of the jacket began to weave itself back together "Don't so reckless with this stuff, its durable but its also something sacred to any Keeper alive or dead." Next she focused her attention on the tears in his right sleeve, "This seems like Maria's handiwork." she muttered under her breath as she continued to mend the jacket as well as further strengthen it, "I'll be honest I thought I had strengthened this jacket the first time around to the point that even something as brutal as a Beast Cutter would have a hard time getting through it." She paused for a moment, "Guess I misjudged it..." She said as she mended the last area, the large gash running down from his right shoulder down across to the left side of his back, "This one is Gehrman's doing..." She muttered, recognizing the pattern of damage from his famed backslice roll, for a moment the glow on her hands died down, but soon after the ember orange glow enveloped her whole form, "Now, let's weave a few more layers of bone ash into the jacket, this might affect the weight of the jacket ever so slightly but it will be much harder to tear through as a result." She said with a smile "But I still want to know how it got to be in such a state." She said in a firmer tone that made Gaile smile slightly "If you really must know..." Gaile started to speak, "Sit down here cause this is going to be a long one." He gestured to the large bed of lumen flowers growing around the gnarled ancient roots of the great tree.

Gehrman dashed to the side to avoid Gaile's unexpected attack in a tuft of pale blue smoke, every hunter who ever learned the ability of quickening had a unique colour to the smoke that surrounded them when they used the ability. Maria's was a piercing bloody red, While Gaile's was a worn yellow. With a sly grin identical to his previous one Gehrman dashed forward in much the same fashion with a wide arced swing of his scythe which Gaile countered with strained ease causing The First Hunter to stagger backward a few steps giving Gaile an opening to land a few well placed blows, but as he dashed forward Maria went on the offensive beating him back with fast but accurate strikes forcing him to retreat for a short while while Gehrman recovered, "Well, I believe the legends now you two were really good together!" Gaile said in a genuine compliment catching the two by surprise Maria having interpreted his words wrong blushed lightly while Gehrman smiled warmly at his last apprentice knowing full well what he meant, in the midst of the heated thoughts invading Maria's head she lost her sense of better judgement and moved in to end the match as quickly as possible, calling on the old rites of her ancestors she stabbed herself with both parts of her Rakuyo, forming them into equal length blood stone swords that sang in scarlet hues when swung at Gaile. "Its over Gaile." She said coldly as she dashed toward him "Well, since you're powering up I might as well join the party!" Gaile said as he injected himself with an ornate brass blood injector an ace in the hole that Flora gave him before he departed for the nightmare with a wicked grin which drew wide eyed looks of shock from both Gehrman and Maria he slammed the injector into his thigh and allowed the contents to drain into his bloodstream. "That's more like it." Gaile said in a much colder tone, he sounded much more sadistic, as he looked up to reveal one eye had shifted into that of a beasts."Ohhhh It's been too long..." Gaile said as his other eye began to shift under his overexcited state of beasthood "That old feeling..." he muttered again under his breath as Gehrman crouched low for a swift dash. "What was the first thing I taught you Gaile!?" Gehrman yelled at his former student in pure anger. "Fear the old blood!" He said as he dashed forward with pale wind dancing around the blade of his scythe Gaile looked complacent and unmoving as he simply stood unmoving waiting for the attack, this infuriated Gehrman, which was exactly what Gaile wanted as even the most bloodthirsty of beasts can form and execute simple plans.

Mere moments before the attack collided, Gaile grabbed the blade of Gehrman's scythe in the bend of his arm, "Makes me wonder how I ever had the strength to resist it..." He suddenly spoke as he viciously slashed Gehrman across the chest spilling a copious amount of blood onto the wooden floor of the Astral Clocktower's Foyer with a grunt of pain Gehrman rolled away from him and both looked at his blade in horror it had bent and twisted unnaturally into a large malformed saw blade. "Maria, Gaile isn't treating this like a Sparring match any more, he's gone mad under the influence of that blood he injected himself with, we cant kill him though, we just need to weaken him enough that he loses consciousness." Gehrman said to his former student who nodded her agreement "Yes, but how do we get close enough to attack him, that blade of his seems to shift its form dependent on how active the beast within him has become." Before long, Gaile was beginning to grow bored watching them converse with one another, the boredom was eating away at him, "If you two arent going to come over here then ill just have to come to you!" he yelled in a frenzied voice as he rushed them with an all but beastly roar laced with malice and bloodlust. With a growl he swing his blade at them again, and again, each time coming mere inches short in wounding them and spilling more of the sweet smelling blood that he craved. Gaile finally succeeded in hitting Gehrman but soon discovered it was a phantom image of him that was meant to buy the two time to immobilize him "Check mate, Gaile" Maria said in an unexpectedly cold voice as she dropped from the rafters knocking him to the wooden floor and piercing her two blades through his chest, as Gehrman rolled by them hitting him hard and fast across his back. Pinned to the floor, Gaile was unable to move and simply howled in fury at his circumstances, finally having had enough, Maria kicked him sharply in the face knocking him out cold. "Shut up already." She muttered as his world went black.

An unknown amount of time had passed when Gaile came to, resting in a small cot with his wounds having healed naturally while he slept getting up he found he was in one of the back rooms of the Astral Clocktower's Foyer where he had fought Maria and Gehrman not too long ago, stopping near one of the desks which seemed to have books related to nightmares and how they functioned, he then noticed another book that related to the creation of the hunter marks that allowed hunters to re-awaken at the nearest lantern in exchange for their blood echoes. He looked at the page that had been marked, " _Nightmare Hunter's Mark, this obscure hunter tool is a legend among the_ _O_ _ld_ _H_ _unters, and is said to manifest in the darkest and most desperate of nightmares._ " Looking at the sketch in the book and the supposed means to fabricating one he knew then why these were being researched, Gehrman and Maria were trying to leave the nightmare. "Perhaps I might be able to help them." He muttered under his breath as he poured over the material they had gathered, he then saw two pieces of parchment that had the rune drawn in pale white on the worn ash grey parchment unbeknownst to him Maria was standing in the shadows of the room silently observing his every move, she had come to check on him and make sure he was back to his old self, "We're missing one key to fully fabricating these," She said making her presence known to Gaile as he turned to face her with a quizzical look on his face "What are you missing?" he asked her, "What is it that these need for you and Gehrman to be able leave the nightmare?" Maria stared at him for a time, before speaking, "We need two sets of _Revered Great One Coldblood_ to infuse into them" She said with a sigh, but the only place to acquire them is in the _Savage Labyrinth_ that runs below the Fishing Hamlet. Gaile paused in his thoughts for a moment, "How do I get there?" He asked as Maria quickly corrected him "We, Gaile." She said with a smile "You're not hogging all the fun for yourself Gaile." Gehrman said, surprising them both at his sudden appearance in the room.

"That was never my intention Gehrman." Gaile said with a genuine smile and a small bow to his former mentor "Oh enough with the formalities Gaile you stopped being my apprentice some time ago." Gehrman said waving his respectful gesture off. "But I cant help but wonder..." Gaile started again, "How did you and Maria find each other again after so long?" He asked with an honest tone. Gehrman and Maria looked at one another for a moment before looking back at Gaile, a warm smile on both their faces, yet neither spoke. "Some questions are better left unanswered Gaile." Maria said in her usual cool tone of voice. "But we can't just stand here fooling about." Gehrman said, resting the Burial Blade across his back, Maria following suit sheathing her Rakuyo. "Right then," Gaile said in a raised tone with a beastly smirk allowing a single elongated canine to show. "Shall we get started?" He said as they began walking out of the Astral Clocktower. "And I think you can guess what happens next Nerco." Gaile said with an identical wolf-like grin. At which Nerco glared playfully "You're no fun, Just when it was getting to the good part..." She said as she took Gaile's hand helping her up. "Yeah, I know" He said as he bent down and laid a kiss on her forehead. "But sometimes I just cant help myself. You too much fun to tease." at this her glare turned serious "Careful now my keen little hunter." She said with a pause "Play with fire too recklessly and you're sure to get burned." She said with emphasis as a small spark of flame erupted in front of him causing him to dash backwards on the defensive "What the hell was that Nerco!?" He shouted, his eyes the same as a beast.

His outburst reached into her deepest heart and pulled the woman he took as his lover and mate back to the surface, "Oh my gods Gaile! I'm so sorry I didn't mean t- Mmmph!?" She let out the unexpected muffled squeak as his lips connected with hers silencing her with a kiss "Chalk it up to the little one growing inside" He said warmly as he kissed her on the forehead, his trademark sign of loving affection for his lover and mate. "We know the factions plans." he paused looking her in the eyes, "Now we just have to outmanuver both sides and reach Ebrietas." He said sternly as he stood and began to walk toward the workshop, stopping before the workshop bench, he reached for the blood gem tool whilst thinking aloud, "Surely even a weapon like this has slots for blood gems on it somewhere." to his surprise there were five slots as opposed to a normal weapons three "Five gem slots eh?" He paused opening a small ornate wooden box the contained his most potent blood gems found while exploring the most foetid and rotted areas riddled with seething, malicious curses that defiled the once holy tomb. "Looks like I'll finally have a use for these." He mused to no one in particular unaware that Flora was watching him, hiding her presence from him. Reaching for the first of the seven gems stored in the sealed box he placed it onto the gem press and began lowering it into the appropriated slot, the radial blood gem bonded to its space with small vein-like roots spreading from the gem bonding it to the steel blade "That's one." he muttered under his breath as he watched the blood gem bond to the blade further strengthening it, "Gaile, I hope you know what you're doing..." Flora said as she appeared from a veil of blood red mist "Cursed and Defiled blood gems like these are powerful when applied to the right weapons." She spoke knowingly "But something like this, Gaile… This weapon doesn't need gems like these to do what you need it to." She paused before enveloping the gem in a small field of translucent red energy and prying it from his blade, hearing the gem, a living organism in its own right squeal and writhe in agony as it was forcibly ripped from its new host. "But if you really wish to empower it… I have a few gems that you wont find in any dungeon no matter how deep you go into the old labyrinth." She spoke as she beckoned five droplet blood gems with a pale aura, the gems shimmered with an otherworldly light that one could easily mistake for moonlight "These are gems forged from my own blood, Gaile." She said as she slowly slotted each of the shimmering droplets into his sword one that fit into a waning slot in the tsuba of his sword, two that fit into mirrored radial slots on the tip of the blade, one that slotted into the pommel of the sword, and the final one ran in a unique radial pattern along the length of the blade's spine giving the razor sharp blade a red shimmer along its length.

Once slotted, the gems began to harden, matching the pale blue shade of the otherworldly metal blade, and becoming one with it permanently enhancing the blade. "Whatever those gems of yours did..." Gaile started with a pause, "I can feel it coursing through the rest of my body." At which Flora smiled warmly "What they did was heal fractures in the blade that not even Nerco could have seen or anticipated." She paused for a moment "The soul she used to fuse the Saif and the Burial Blade together into that new weapon, was full of hatred and in one last twisted act of revenge wrought his own malice and hatred for the two of you into the blade, causing fractures that wouldn't affect the overall durability of the blade so long as the weapon wasn't struck in one of those areas." She paused once more to allow the information to sink in, "In a nutshell those gems I made with my own blood no less, healed the fractures in the blade and added a small boost to the sword that radiates into its wielder." She said with a final smile "Think of it as a parting gift, but should you or Nerco find yourselves in trouble against a foe not of this world I am always a simple ring away of that old bell I had the messengers give you." Hearing her name Nerco walked into the workshop to find Gaile and Flora had just finished their conversation, sensing the radiating power from the sword that wasn't present before, she looked to the two individuals before her with a questioning expression that was answered with a nod from Gaile "That maggot tried to get one final laugh in, there were delaminations along the blade that were invisible to all but Flora's eyes" Which Nerco responded to with balled balled fists as she unknowingly emitted arcane heat causing her gauntlets to glow a fiery orange the flaming heat caused both to back away from her which caused her to notice what she was doing and willed herself to calm down, almost instantly the intense aura of heat that surrounded her form was gone and with it the fiery glow that danced around her gauntlets.

"It figures that the bastard would try to hamper us in any way he could." She muttered under her breath a piercing glare that tugged at Gaile's own heart was plainly visible upon her face, he hated seeing her this way, she was hurting in some way and he knew better than to approach her in this state, but he did anyway. "Nerco. it's not your fault, that bastard maggot's soul was rotten to the core, none of us could have anticipated what he would do in his final moments even as a spirit." He said, enveloping her in a strong but loving embrace he melted her anger with another loving kiss planted ever so gently upon her forehead."How… How is it that you always know how to calm me so..." She asked with a mystified expression on her face as she let herself relax in his embrace taking in the loving aura of warmth he was giving off. "Flora, I owe you for what you've done." Gaile said as he broke them embrace and began to walk toward a withered and cracked grey headstone, with a rough engraving that read 'Yharnam', The engraving was slightly worn in appearance but smooth to the touch, almost as if it was done by nature rather than human hands.

Gaile looked at Nerco as she studied the Yharnam Headstone looking at it closely taking in every small detail she saw "Nerco, we need to get moving..." He said as he held out his open hand for her to take hold of, with a nod she stood from her crouched position and took his hand in her own. "To Central Yharnam" both said in unison as they began to dissipate as they left the dream for the Waking World so that they may find sanctuary with Ebrietas.


	17. Chapter 17

Onnen awoke slowly to find that Thaeon wasn't by her side. A low glare formed on her face as light twinge of pain made itself known in her heart "Damned idiot." she muttered under her breath as she rose from her bed and got dressed then she noticed Thaeon's clothes were still scattered about the room "Hmmph, I guess he didn't run out on me after all." she muttered to herself once more, unknown to her Thaeon was simply having a warm shower in her private bathroom. Once the sound of the running water had reached her ears, a devilish smirk formed on her face. "I'm going to enjoy this and so is he." She said as she let the gown she had just put on fall again from her shoulders. Thaeon let out a deep sigh of pleasure as the hot water of the shower cascaded over his toned form he was so lost in the stress relieving feel of the water that he failed to notice Onnen walk into the bathroom while his back was turned she snuck in with in with him, with a smirk she wrapped her arms lightly around his neck as she allowed her body to rest on his, her breasts pushing into his back, her smirk widened more at his reaction, his whole form shook slightly in her loose embrace "Good morning Thaeon." She said in a sultry tone as he spun around in her arms and planted a kiss on her lips "Someone is in a good mood." Thaeon said mockingly after breaking from the kiss with her before she pulled him into another one.

 _ **Now, I should warn you that the following contains explicit sexual content. Readers under the age of Seventeen should skip this if they do not wish to read such content.**_

 _ **You have been warned.**_

The large open space of the Shower allowed for the two to get lost in their heated love for one another locked in a fierce but loving embrace the two found themselves up against one of the walls of the shower, both sighed in pleasure as the warm water began to fall over them once more and with an unseen smirk Thaeon pulled away from the wall and lifted Onnen up as he continued to further and deepen the kiss that they were sharing, and in response she wrapped her legs around his waist finally needing to break for air the two separated and it was at this moment that Onnen felt something hard prodding at the inside of her thigh, with a questioning expression she look down to see Thaeon's erect member she smiled warmly at Thaeon which caused him blush slightly "You have nothing to be embarrassed about." She said knowingly, "you are mine and I am yours, always." she finished as she unwrapped her legs and was set down by Thaeon, with a light blush, she opened one of her legs and wrapped it back around Thaeon's waist and used the other to maintain her standing position as she positioned the tip of Thaeon's member at her entrance as he slowly pushed up and into her depths, still locked in their kiss Onnen moaned into it as the pleasurable feeling of fullness from the other evening spent with him came rushing back to her. With a grunt Thaeon slowly withdrew himself from Onnen's warm depths until just his tip was still sheathed inside of her before quickly pushing back in the action eliciting another moan of pleasure from Onnen as she struggled to maintain her standing as her leg bucked under her several times due to the physical feedback she was feeling from her body. Not wishing to see her lose her balance Thaeon picked her up and held her as he continued to thrust into her, in response to the sudden action Onnen wrapped both of her legs around his back to brace herself "T-Thaeon Fuck!" she said with stuttering breaths and moans as she was thrust deeper into her own pleasure. "Onnen… I'm gonna-" Thaeon started to say before Onnen raised herself up to kiss him once more before tightening her grip on him with her legs "M-Me too!" she cried out in ecstasy as she rode out her orgasm alongside Thaeon's own, the white heat of his seed pumping into her rope after rope, filling her to the brim. "Hah… Haah… Haaah… Thaeon… I love you so much…" She said through exhausted pants as Thaeon's softening member slid out of her allowing the mixture of his seed and her nectar to spill out onto the floor of the shower only to be washed down the drain "I love you too Onnen" Thaeon said as he slowly set her down on the seat in the corner of the shower "Always have, always will" He said as he exited the shower to give his lover a bit of privacy.

 _ **And that's the end of that… Okay back to the actual story people!**_

After recovering from their heated session in the shower Onnen and Thaeon both gathered their respective articles of clothing and replaced them over their naked forms and walked out of her quarters to see that the other keepers were just rising for their morning duties, the keeper from the night before walked up to them slowly with a nervous expression on his face "C-Captain Onnen, Lieutenant Thaeon… Can I ask why you felt it necessary to knock me out cold last night" At this Both Onnen and Thaeon's eyes narrowed into a deadly glare "Are you questioning your superiors? Surely you know better..." Onnen said in a dangerously low tone "What we do and why we choose to do it is our business and ours alone." Thaeon finished as they both walked past him with nothing more being said. The low ranking keeper just sighed and walked off realizing he wasn't about to get an explanation for why they attacked him but he was no fool he could connect the dots the fact that their clothes were scattered around the barracks when he arrived led him to believe that they had an evening together and he simply walked in at the wrong time. "Still... They didn't have to attack me like that" said with a sigh as a walked off to do his assigned duties for the day.

Elsewhere in Central Yharnam, The Lamp in Yosefka's long abandoned clinic began to glow and pulse as it prepared the way for Gaile and Nerco's arrival in a burst of white light and flame the two were present in the clinic crouched on one knee Both stood up and locked eyes with one another before giving the other a curt nod and speeding down the steps toward the main operating room of the clinic, Gaile, being the first one to arrive in the room spotted a trio of Scourge Beasts feasting on a group of unlucky Yharnamite Hunters who had gone to the wrong place at the wrong time and for their mistake were struck down by the savage monster who once like them were men and women of Yharnam who at one time fought alongside the hunters, unknowingly slaughtering their own townsfolk. With a sigh Gaile drew his blade in one swift motion and bisected two of the three wolf like monsters while Nerco caught the straggler with a nova of fire that burned the unfortunate beast to ash, cinders and bone. Alerted to another presence by the sudden sound of a glass fragment breaking underfoot and light cursing both turned around to see a younger male Hunter clad in the garb supplied to Yharnamite Hunters by the Healing Church made by the workshop in the days of Ludwig the Holy Blade, "Well, you caught me… Off with my head then?" the young man asked jokingly and Gaile instantly recognized his voice despite the cloth dust mask and wide brimmed hat that hid his face from view, "Leonard… It would seem that The Order of Mensis is treating you well" He said gesturing to his much neater garb and better weapons.

"You would think so…" He said In the same joking manner He might have fooled Gaile but Nerco wasn't convinced at all "State your business and be gone." She said as she brandished her Rakuyo in hand ready to cut him down at a moments notice "You might have Gaile fooled, Hunter of Mensis but I'm not so easy to deceive." she said as her face narrowed into a deadly glare. "Ah, you've got it all wrong miss, While I am in fact privy to the details of that prophecy or whatever the fuck it is," he paused for a moment before fixing her with a glare of his own "I could give a fuck less about you or the child growing inside of you, I came here to hunt The Beasts, not you and him." He said in an equally harsh tone as he pointed his unfolded Sawcleaver at the two of them. "You've got two paths you can take, The first one is right into the thick of the fighting between The Choir and The Order straight through the town square through to the Tomb of Oedon and up into Oedon Chapel" He paused, "OR, You can take the lower alleyways into Old Yharnam and come out behind them." he finished before Gaile spoke up. "You're making that sound a bit too easy Leonard, what aren't you telling me?" Gaile asked him with narrowed eyes "Yeah figures you aren't as dumb as you look sometimes, The path through Old Yharnam is flooded with some pretty nasty beasts… Bastards have killed me three times now..." He said as he walked past the two out the front gate, before turning to face them once more "Whatever path you choose to take take care to avoid Lanius, best way I can describe him…" He paused in thought before he resumed speaking "He is rage, brutal and without mercy… But you Gaile, You can be much worse than him when angered… so, if you run into him, Rip and Tear until the deed is done..." He finished with a nod and a tip of his hat as he left out the gate toward The Great Bridge where Gaile fought the Cleric Beast during his first hunt. But Gaile stopped him cold, "You've seen him in battle?" He asked as Leonard responded with a nod, "Aye, whatever stories you've heard, they're merely understatement of the real deal, keep that in mind Gaile. Now, Be safe… All three of ya." He said briskly as he dashed off to continue his hunt. Nerco then turned to Gaile with a questioning expression on her face "What has he done that makes him such a beast" She asked, not knowing much about Gaile's History with the two factions, only that he made enemies and friend on both sides. "If you thought plunging your hand in someone's chest and crushing their heart as painful and brutal, then you certainly never seen him." Gaile said with a pause, "I once saw him rip the head of one of his men clean off just because he had failed…" He said with malice and hatred in his voice as he looked at Nerco's slightly horrified expression. "But you don't have to worry, He's not going to get within sniffing distance of you." Ge paused as one of his eyes shifted to that of a beast's "I'll tear him to bloody pieces if he fucking tries." Gaile said as he walked out of the clinic "Let's cut through Old Yharnam, it will be nice to see Baalthazar and his pack and warn them about the fighting going on." He said as he dashed of into the misty alleyways of Central Yharnam with Nerco following him Close behind. "Gaile… Why would you come back to this place? ...After everything that happened there" She asked him "There are a lot of memories in Old Yharnam some that I'd rather not revisit..." She said as he slowed to a halt. "Listen, I know this place brings back some terrible memories for you Nerco but... I'd rather avoid unnecessary fighting… Even if I cant truly die all they need is to kill me once and then you are as good as theirs." He said with a pause before continuing on "I'd rather choose the safer path with predictable foes, than face human opponents who can be just as unpredictable as us in combat and risk you getting taken by them." With this he said nothing more as the wordlessly made their way toward the Gate of Old Yharnam.

Only to find that while once it was sealed when he left the place behind with Nerco so long ago, now it was open likely with explosives based on the pitiful condition that the heavy oak and iron doors were in. Walking into the city Gaile was met with a visage of the hell he was part of as a boy who had survived the Burning of Old Yharnam with his younger sister. "What… WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED HERE?!" Gaile roared out in anguish as he fell to his knees, defeated by the state of his home. Bodies littered the streets and alleyways, blood was spilled everywhere he was ready to give into the beast lurking just beneath his frame of humanity but Nerco was there to pull him out of the abyss and back into the light as she knelt down behind him hugging him from behind with a loving embrace. "They'll tear everything apart just to find us… Just to find me... bastards, every single last one of them. I've left many homes behind, and I can't understand the feeling of seeing it as such, but I know it's unbearable for you. But don't let this bring you down, They'll get what's coming to them." She said as she tried to comfort Gaile. "That we will Keeper, that we will..." She was pulled from her efforts by the sudden voice only to for a circle of men in The Choir's white garb to appear as the effects of the blue elixir they all drank wore off, some carried the Tonitrus alongside the Rosmarinus while others carried more traditional weaponry a few notable examples being Ludwig's Holy Blade, The Kirkhammer, and a few that carried Threaded Canes. "If You'd kindly come with us miss... There's no need for things to get violent." The apparent leader of the group spoke with a sneer which irritated Nerco to no end "If you gentlemen know what's good for you You wont move another step." She threatened "Gaile if ever there was a time I needed you its right NOW!"

She yelled as she unleashed a nova of fire that exploded in a flaming shockwave around her as she turned on a heel and did the last thing she'd ever want to do, She hit Gaile with as much strength as she could muster in her exhaustion from using one of her most powerful spells twice in the same evening. Seeing that it had no effect she pulled back for another hit "Gaile… WAKE THE HELL UP!" She yelled as she let her gauntlet clad fist fly towards him only for his own hand to intercept and catch her own "Gaile isn't here right now Nerco." He said as he looked up at her, his eyes being those of a beast "Stand back and let me deal with these gentlemen," He said as he slowly stood up and drew his sword which began to twist and warp its shape transforming into a large serrated scythe with a folding blade mechanism that allowed it to function as both scythe and axe. "You need not worry, Gaile and I have a mutual understanding and no harm will come to you, after all what beast in its right mind would ever hurt its mate..." He said as he let out a beastly roar and dashed at the closest of the hunters that had surrounded them and in an upward swing had impaled the man through his chest. With another inhuman growl he swung the weapon in a circular arc that claimed the heads and lives of two more, twelve more yet remained. "Not one of you is going to leave this place alive." He said in an almost demonic tone of voice that Nerco had heard for herself only a few times in the span of her long relationship with Gaile. Before long only Gaile and the apparent leader of the Choir Hunters were still standing "It seems that I'm no match for you, nor do I have even the slightest chance of taking the Keeper and leaving you in the dust." He said in a calm and collected tone of voice even though Nerco could see through the mask, he was furious at his failure "Release them! We'll do the deed here and now!" He yelled out to no one in particular before a distant "AYE!" was heard, soon after, the slow sound of heavy metal gates opening was heard and with it the deep bellows of unseen beasts. "You hear that Keeper? They are coming. Coming for you and your precious Hunter there. If they are something that can be stopped then just go ahead and try!" He said as he walked away with a triumphant laugh "I'll be back to collect you when they've finished with you Keeper." He said, speaking over his shoulder as he continued to walk away from them when he turned his attention back to what was before him he saw one last Beast Patient "Well damn, I missed one." He said lowly as he drew his Kirkhammer from its place on his back, what happened next shocked the Church Hunter greatly, the Beast spoke to him. "You've destroyed my pack… Just to bring those two here… I'll have your head for this."

Baalthazar spoke calmly to the hunter who was unable to hide his shock but he soon recovered as his face set into look of pure amusement, "Ah this is a sight to behold, A beast that has recovered its humanity." He paused before continuing as he studied the average height Beast Patient who had silver fur that showed his advanced age "This will be over before you know it Beast." the Hunter said with a smirk as he dashed forward to crush the small but old beast with his Kirkhammer but was surprised to find that the only thing he hit was the ground but from Nerco's eyes an amazing sight unfolded, Baalthazar dashed past him faster than a hunter's eye could ever hope to perceive.

But a glint of light that was shining into her eye forced her to look away from the scene, when the light had gone away Baalthazar was standing still leaning on his cane once more as the hunter slid apart from shoulder to waist and painted his silver fur dark crimson as blood rained from the hunter's body as the dead hunter fell to his knees. Nerco was shocked to say the least "Baalthazar..." She said in a hushed whisper more out of shock that one so old could move like that, but then again by human measurement she was far older than him. Slowly he made his way over to them using his cane to hold up his weight "We were waiting for the two of you to arrive, but sadly the Church found us first and you can see the devastation they have wrought upon us once more." Baalthazar said as he finally reached the two. He looked at Nerco and then to Gaile who was crouched on one knee breathing heavily as the beast within him had retreated back beneath the surface of his humanity and allowed him to once again be a man rather than a beast.

Once recovered Gaile rose from his crouched position and gave a curt nod of thanks to his old friend "Many thanks to you Baalthazar." He said to the old Beast, who was now the last surviving beast in Old Yharnam, the last of his kind. Gaile noticed that one of Baalthazar's ears flicked momentarily as he heard a sound much father off that Gaile ever could. "You hear that Gaile?" He asked in a cautious tone as he started to hold is cane as if it were a sheathed blade then it clicked for Nerco "Your cane is a blade?" she asked the old beast that stood before her in a defensive posture, he looked at her over his solder with a keen smile "Smart young lass." he said with a nod as he returned his focus to whatever was coming for them "I appreciate the compliment but I'm far older than you Baalthazar" she said with a smile as she too walked up to make her stand alongside Gaile and Baalthazar. "I see that look in your eye Gaile don't even try to stop me from fighting this battle, If these things want a piece of me… Then they're going to have to work for it." She said in a cold hearted tone of voice as a house in the old town square exploded as something crashed through it.

"My House..." Gaile said in an exasperated tone as he readied his weapon, that strangely enough still held its form as a scythe. When the dust settled, what stood before them were a pair of beasts that both resembled Blood Starved Beasts but they were much larger in size and frame, upon a more focused examination they were much more muscular and Nerco was able to distinguish physical traits found on canines and horses "They arent the most pleasant things to look at but I would assume that looks were not what The Choir were most concerned about in the creation of these fiends… All that they cared for is likely how potent they could make its seed." She said in her same cold manner as she spat on the ground in disgust. "If you two want a piece of me… THEN COME AND TAKE IT!" She roared at them in defiance as she took her stance.


	18. Chapter 18

In response to Nerco's defensive stance one of The Choir's beasts, their 'Breeders' fixed a single eye, the only one it possessed that still functioned in a stone cold glare as its lower law separated into three individual joints and what appeared to be three long muscular tongues began to thrash about tasting the air like some kind of serpent before they retreated back into its mouth. Without any sort of warning the two massive beasts dashed forward one focused on Nerco, the other focused on eliminating any competition it may face.

Despite the hulking beast's stature Nerco stood her ground against her larger adversary, as it sized her up as a mate willing or not she also sized up her opponent looking for any weaknesses she could exploit to bring the beast down as quickly as she could without exhausting too much more of her already dangerously low reserves of stamina, she couldn't help but let out a noise of utter disgust as she saw the beasts admittedly impressive member slide of of the sheath between its hind legs, it was ready to take her the moment it got the chance to whether she wanted it or not. As the beast began to circle her waiting for her to make a move she locked eyes with it in a defiant glare "Come anywhere near me with that worm between your legs and you won't get it back." She said as she brandished her Rakuyo, the blade alight with burning flames that not even water could hope to extinguish. With a deafening roar the circling beast, having grown bored of waiting for her to make the first move ran full speed at her in an attempt to knock her off her feet, something she anticipated from her experience against Gaile in the nightmare frontier, "A beast took me once against my will, Never again." She said as she dashed to the side to avoid its oncoming charge and as she did so she let her blade sink into the flesh on its shoulder striking a deep and painful blow against her opponent that caused it to let out a pained howl of agony as it tried to calm the searing pain it was feeling inside the wound. As the pain subsided the beast looked up at Nerco with an angry glare who had a triumphant smirk on her face "Did that hurt?" She asked as she flicked the beast's blood of her sword, she spared a short moment to look in Gaile and Baalthazar's direction as they handled the other breeder they were doing well, Gaile had already done more damage against their beast in the short amount of time she had been fighting her own it was bleeding heavily from several of its various wounds, but what she didn't notice was how poorly Baalthazar was fairing in the fight.

Seeing her not paying attention gave the beast in front of her a small boost of confidence as it lunged at her with a sudden growl nicking her on the cheek with of its long jagged bone talons as it pinned her underfoot, as much as she struggled she wasn't able to get any degree of movement under the weight of the beast as it opened its jaws again she saw the three long tongues snake out of its mouth once more trying to move her head to avoid being touched by the thick muscular tendrils of flesh she let out a shiver of revulsion as she felt one of the tongues caress her left cheek at the same time another one ran across the cut it inflicted upon her right tasting her blood, which had a sweet scent of roses as well as a strong taste that could only be described with one word, fire. The Beast quite liked the taste of her blood and gave the cut on her cheek another rough lick that to her felt like sandpaper grinding across her skin. "You wont be liking the taste of my blood for very much longer!" she said fixing another defiant glare into the single eye of the breeder that had pinned her to the ground. The breeder held her glare for a moment before its eyes began to roam all over her taking in her form growing more excited as its blood engorged member once again extended from within its protective sheath retracting its three tongues back into its mouth its split open lower jaw closed and reformed only for it to start howling in agony again as a smirk graced Nerco's face. "A smirk like this doesn't grace my face very often… because its not just a smirk…" She paused as the beast reared up on its hind legs unable to stand the agony that was burning inside its mouth and throat, "It means that I've won." She finished in a cold tone of anger, given the opening she needed she used what little of her energy and stamina that remained after igniting her blood within the beast to fire one final blast of flame at the pitiful being, "To hell with you." she muttered angrily under her breath moments before the bolt of fire hit the beast with sufficient force as to tear it asunder in a brilliant shower of sparks, embers and gore.

With heavy breaths she looked over at her Lover and Baalthazar as they fought against the second breeder that had become much more treacherous of an opponent now that its brother had been killed right before it's very eyes with a howl of pain it dashed towards Gaile and Baalthazar, blinded by rage unable to see the small smirk at the corner of Gaile's lips as he spun round on a heel to dodge the beast's oncoming charge, but with his advanced age Baalthazar was not so fortunate as he felt the painful sting of one of the beasts many wicked horns slash across his form cutting deep and true scoring a mortal draw across his torso. Rushing past the two it stopped above Nerco with glee in its eyes, extending its long jagged claws it hooked them under the breastplate on her armour and tore it from her form exposing her breasts to the cold night air of Old Yharnam. Bringing her arms up yo cover herself from the beasts roaming eyes it raked its claws across her midsection tearing her undergarments and exposing her womanhood to the air, in a seeming repeat of history Nerco braced herself for what she was powerless to stop, Gaile wouldn't make it over to her in time to stop the fiend from planting its seed "I'm sorry that you weren't able to stop this Gaile..." she said as she closed her eyes, feeling the flared tip of its erect shaft pressing against the entrance to her womanhood…

"I refuse to listen to such pathetic whining." a voice rang out in an echo from somewhere above her as rapid gunfire pelted the beasts back forcing it to move up off of her.

Gaile enraged nearly to the point of partial transformation by what the beast just attempted, ran towards it dead sprint, his once beautiful sword twisting and breaking into the beastly scythe his other side loved so much to use against his chosen opponents. Jumping over the swipe of its claws he landed atop the shoulders of the vastly larger beast with a loud but human roar of anger he lashed the scythe downward with one hand, hooking the blade under its thick muscular neck, and with a grunt he kicked down on its head forcing its neck to rest against the large serrated blade, all the while roughly jerking and pulling the handle of his scythe upward making the jagged edge of the blade cut a ragged swath through its neck severing the head of the breeder from the rest of its body. Its head landed next to Nerco's own her own glare of hatred and disgust locked into its dead eyes watching with satisfaction as they rolled backward and up into its head. She looked up to see Gaile's hand reached toward her offering his open hand, and with a blush she took it being in the presence of Baalthazar and her unknown saviour she did her best to cover herself until she felt the warmth of Gaile's jacket, her gift to him no less, wrap around her shoulders. "Wear that for now, just until you have the energy to mend your armour." he said, as he planted a loving kiss on her forehead. When he broke the kiss Gaile held her to his chest in a protective gesture as a yellow blur dropped to the ground landing in a crouch on one of his knees, "Easy Gaile, It's just me..." Henryk said with a respectful bow, that was the Hunter's Salutation. Nerco looked at him out of the corner of her eye as Gaile's protective hold on her loosened a bit and gave him a curt nod of thanks "Thank you Henryk, if you hadn't been there I can't say for sure what would have happened..." She said with a blush with both him and Gaile knowing full well that underneath his coat she was fully exposed. "Thank you indeed Henryk, you showed up in the nick of time." Gaile said as he shook the hand of his friend and mentor firmly, Nerco could feel the rapid pulse of his heart as she rest against him regaining her strength, "He's on edge..." She thought to herself "He's on edge because of what almost happened to me just now, and the possibility that those two weren't the only ones the released into the city..." she unconsciously shivered in disgust at the thought, something that Gaile felt "Hey, you alright?" He whispered into her ear as he hugged her closer to his form letting her draw extra energy from the warmth he was exuding.

Elsewhere atop the clock tower in Old Yharnam a familiar red clad figure stood with a sadistic smile plastered upon her face "Well… You two managed to kill the breeders, those poor fools of The Choir will be quite a bit upset about that..." She said aloud allowing the empty air of the old hamlet to carry her voice on the wind.

Upon hearing her voice Gaile and Nerco both looked in the direction of the clock tower, and there, upon the clock tower's spire they saw Oedon standing for just a moment before she seemingly flickered out of existence "What's the matter you two? Just how long are you going to keep looking over there?" Gaile registered her voice behind him long before Nerco did but he was still too late to dodge as a hardened tentacle speared through him as another knocked Nerco away from him "I've been a bit bored lately, entertain me little hunter." She said with sadistic glee as she flung Gaile off of her tentacle as it slid back underneath her jacket. Getting up from the cobblestone floor, Gaile rose to his feet with a deathly glare in which Nerco saw only the deepest hatred. "Have you looked at the moon lately Gaile?" She asked with that same fox faced smile, "Such a lovely shade of ruby, don't you think?" She said as a glare of her own was visible beneath the brim of her hat. "Ruby... Wha?" Gaile turned to look up at the moon and stood cold unable to tear his gaze away from it? "The Blood Moon..." He muttered under his breath which quickly turned ragged and beastly "It sings to me… such a sweet song..." He finished as he turned to face a horror struck Nerco who slowly began to back away only for a haggard Baalthazar to stand between Gaile and Nerco, "Run while you're able, I'll do my best to hold him off..." She blinked once as the information sunk in, then she noticed Baalthazar clutching the bleeding wound in his side. "I'm glad that I got to meet someone that was finally able to crack Gaile out of his shell, I hadn't seen him look this alive since before his sister was killed." He said, looking at her out of the corner of his eyes "Keep an eye on him… He's helpless but you already know that." He finished with a genuine smile. "Now, Get moving!" He commanded her with a sharp bark of his voice as Gaile dashed forward, his scythe in hand ready to cut a swath through whatever stood between him and his mate. "Allow me to buy you a bit of extra time." Henryk said as he fired a shot from a sawed down Grigor Trenchgun at Oedon causing her to disperse into red mist to evade the shot. "you certainly don't want both her and Gaile hunting you." He said with a nod as she bolted past him dead sprint.

Elsewhere in the Dreamscape, Flora was watching everything unfold, "Gehrman, Maria, get ready you're coming with me to Old Yharnam." She said causing the two to look at one another before giving the other a curt nod before Maria spoke up, "I'm going to guess the plan will be for us to protect Nerco from Oedon while you deal with Gaile here." She said flatly to Flora catching her by surprise for just a moment before she gave her a curt nod of confirmation. "Yes, knowing my sister… She wont be able to keep that moon like that for long, not to mention Rom will do all she can to force the status quo of things from her place in Byrgenwerth." Maria began to walk to the Yharnam Headstone but Gehrman didn't follow instead he walked toward Flora "What are you planning on doing with Gaile here while we keep the girl safe from your sister." He asked her with a sly grin, he was old yes, but he was no fool, "How long has it been?" He asked her straightforwardly, causing a light tinge of red to burn on her cheeks. "Hah… Am I that obvious Gehrman?" She asked him in return as she readied her sword at her side, sliding the ornate scabbard into her sash and began walking toward Maria's position at the Yharnam Headstone, Gehrman followed shortly after, releasing a short but tired sounding laugh, "Tonight Gehrman joins The Hunt, again..." He said as he took his place next to Maria. Flora nodded to them both as pale crimson light danced around them, "To Old Yharnam" She said in a commanding tone as the three of them disappeared in a flash of pale crimson.

Elsewhere, Nerco was running, where to she didn't know, nor did she care, all the she needed to do was buy herself time for the effects of the blood moon to wear off and for Gaile to come to his senses once more. Before long, she found herself in a familiar area of the sleepy hamlet "This was where Gaile and I..." She stopped her thought "This is where our story began and if it must come to an end then here is where I will end it." She said aloud to no one in particular as her armour began to glow bright orange as the tears in it began to mend, with her armour restored she drew out her Rakuyo from its scabbard and stood her ground waiting for Gaile to arrive. She was pulled from her stance when a flash of pale crimson caught her attention out of the corner of her eye turning on a heel mid swing her attack was blocked effortlessly by Maria, "Easy there. Young miss" Gehrman said, placing a reassuring hand on Nerco's shoulder.

If Nerco was ever happy to see another person it was now as she enveloped maria in a hug "Ahm… It's good to see you to Nerco." Maria said looking in the other direction letting out a light cough to get the Keeper's attention. "Now, maybe you'd like to let me go?" She asked as politely as she could muster, Maria was used to close physical contact but this bordered on invading her personal space, but she couldn't blame Nerco for reacting how she did. "Nerco what's wrong?" She paused for a moment before it dawned on her just how scared and relieved Nerco was at this moment. "Oh gods you're shaking like a leaf!" Maria exclaimed as she felt Nerco trembling against her form "Of course I'm trembling Maria, I'M FUCKING SCARED!" She screamed out "If he finds me..." She paused as tears welled up in her eyes "If he finds me he won't just assault me..." she paused once more as she looked at Maria and Gehrman, tears flowing down her cheeks "He's gotten like this once before, last time it was his sister… he attacked her... he raped her… and then when he was done with her… he tore her to shreds." she said slowly, the tears still flowing from her eyes in a torrent. "Henryk told me about the first time this happened to Gaile… I honestly never thought I would see it happen with my own eyes." She said as she began to calm down in the comforting presence of Gehrman and Maria, calming that is, until she saw Gehrman and Maria take defensive stances, at that moment she didn't want to turn around out of fear of who she might see. She didn't need to turn around because her fears were confirmed when her unseen opponent spoke, "How sweet… I get a Keeper, and a Cainhurst Knight." Gaile said with a sadistic tone that she knew in her deepest heart of hearts wasn't his own. Turning to face him, she held a defiant expression on her face. "I don't want to do this Gaile, but I will if I must." She said firmly as she readied her Rakuyo.

Gaile's face was set smirk at her chosen words, but it quickly dropped to a frown. "You really think you can take me on Nerco?" He asked her with a serious tone of voice that chilled Nerco to her very soul, "I'm nothing like I was ten years ago." He said with a harsh tone of finality as he brought his scythe into view, and when she saw it, her blood ran cold. Her eyes went wide with fear as they locked onto the lifeless corpse of Baalthazar whom was still impaled on the jagged blade of Gaile's scythe. "Miserable old fool wouldn't get out of my way… so I had to put him down." He said heartlessly as he flung Baalthazar's corpse off the blade with an offhanded swing of his scythe. "What have you become Gaile?" she said as a single tear ran down each of her cheeks "You arent the man I fell in love with… Not anymore." She said as she ran her hand along the edge of her sword, cutting into it and coating the blade with her blood, she did this knowing that the scent of her blood would excite Gaile in his current state of mind, she was caught off guard as he dashed forward with unprecedented speed "YOUR BLOOD IS MINE NERCO!" Gaile roared out as he prepared to bring his beastly weapon down on her, she closed her eyes, with a peaceful expression on her face, she waited for the blow that would strike her down, but it never came. When she opened her eyes she saw Gaile bound in rusted chains held by blood splattered messengers "That's enough Gaile! This isn't you." Nerco heard her voice, but she couldn't pinpoint Flora's location. "You two, Get her out of here I'll deal with this little monster." Her voice rang out in an echo as a thrashing enraged Gaile began to sink into the pool of blood that the chains and messengers had risen from moments ago. All the while he growled and roared in his fury even going so far as to gnaw on the chains that bound him until the very last moment as he came to his senses just before the darkness of the blood took him. "Nerco… I'm so sorr- mmpgh!" He choked out as his head was engulfed by the viscous liquid.

Realising that it was over, Nerco's legs unable to hold her weight anymore gave out as she collapsed to her knees in disbelief at what she just witnessed. "Maria, Gehrman..." she paused looking at them with a hard glare "Take me back to the dream, don't know what Flora's planning to do to him but I don't like it. Not one bit." Gehrman's response was a sad shake of his head indicative of a response of "No, I'm afraid I can't Flora gave the two of us specific instructions." He said as he began walking towards the massive front gate of Old Yharnam that Gaile had sealed, with a grunt, The First Hunter raised his Burial Blade to the air and with one swift strike, blasted the massive doors from their hinges "Now, since that's out of the way." He said with an exhausted huff as he turned to Nerco and Maria, "Shall we?" He said with a sly smile on his face as he began to walk into Cathedral Ward. "Wait… Just a moment." Nerco spoke from behind Gehrman as he continued to walk up the stairs into Cathedral Ward, "Whatever business you have here still yet Nerco, make it quick" Gehrman said as he stopped inside the doorway only to look back at Maria and Nerco, as she carried the deceased old beast in her arms she laid him down upon the circular centre stone in the entryway of the Old Yharnam Plaza, "Nerco… what are you doing?" Gehrman said with a confused expression working its way into Gehrman's age wrinkled face, "I owe this beast my life." She said without looking at either of the two Old Hunters behind her "He stayed behind to fight Gaile, to buy me a few precious moments while I ran and hid like a coward!" She said angrily as her fist crashed into the ground, the old worn stone cracking from the force as small tufts of flame erupted from the ground. Regaining her composure, she folded Baalthazar's hands over one another resting them upon his chest. "You have earned your rest Baalthazar, may you find solace in another life far from this hell that we live in now." She said as scalding white flames engulfed Baalthazar's body and just as quickly as the flames came, they were gone and all that remained in their wake was another brilliant ember orange bone ash gem. "Another one?" She asked no one In particular as she picked up the small gem and placed it the empty leather satchel that once contained Gaile's Beast Pellets.

Elsewhere within the Dreamscape, Gaile was deposited in a shower of blood onto the blooming bed of lumen flowers that grew in the shadow of the great tree, unable to move due to the paralysing effect of the blood he lay there waiting for whatever fate had in store for him. "That wasn't very nice of you Flora." Gaile said in an irritated tone of voice, "Interrupting a man when he's about to spend some quality time with two very nice pieces of ass!" He shouted out defiantly. Without warning, Gaile felt a crushing force take hold of his heart "What is this feeling!?" he thought to himself was he regretting what he just said, before long the pain ebbed away as bloody red rays of moonlight began to paint the small field in a pale shower of dancing crimson as Flora made herself known, but what surprised Gaile was her distinct lack of clothing, seeing her like this he couldn't help but lick his lips excitedly, "Oh to hell with the Keeper and Knight I get to tap a Great One!" He shouted as a smirk formed upon Flora's face, "You're awfully confident Gaile." She said as she knelt down beside Gaile and began to undress him in a slow and agonizing pace starting with the black under-shirt he was wearing. Slowly, one button after the other until the shirt was laying open, exposing his bare chest and toned physique, "Well this is unexpected." She said with a surprised expression upon her face, "You were such a frail young man before I gave you my blood Gaile and now you've become so strong these past ten years." She said as she removed the undershirt from his arms and neatly folded it before setting it off to the sides, the slow pace at which she was removing his garb was torture in and of itself, he needed to bury himself inside of her, to feel every inch of her, and as much as he was craving it so too was she "Someone is eager to begin." She said with an uncharacteristic giggle as Gaile's impressive erection was visibly outlined within his boxers, with a smirk she pulled off his boots and shortly followed with his trousers, but with this last article of clothing, his boxers she took an agonizing long time to remove as she ever so slowly pulling them down, she was enjoying watching Gaile squirm and he could see that on her face "Enough teasing just release me already!" he cried out half in anger half begging finally conceding she pulled them off and threw them into his pile of clothing she licked her lips in a predatory fashion as she eyed Gaile's erect cock as it twitched in tandem with his pulse.

 **I should warn everyone that the following from here on out is A Lemon and therefore contains explicit sexual content. If you don't wish to read such vulgarity then please, skip to the next chapter.**

Licking her lips once more, Flora engaged Gaile in a rough and passionate kiss which he returned with equal ferocity his tongue prodding at her lips begging for entry, something she allowed with no resistance as his tongue danced around inside her mouth tasting her and finding it to his liking. Breaking for air, the two separated, minutes later after breaking, Gaile began to regain feeling in his extremities as he flexed his fingers slowly, looking at them out of the corner of his eye he knew at that moment that the paralysis was wearing off, so for now at least, he would bide his time and let her do what she wished with him. "You must think I'm stupid Gaile," She said with a smirk as a pale flash of crimson erupted from her eyes "You won't be moving anytime soon lover." She said as she pecked him on the forehead in much the same way that Gaile kissed Nerco. "whatever floats your boat he said with a groan," he was so close to having her under him and she just had to notice it was infuriating to no end "If you can behave yourself Gaile… I'll let you have free range of your movement," She said with a smirk "Act up even once or try something I don't like, and I'll be taking the lead till we're done." She said with a smirk "You understand me?" She said in a firm tone that left Gaile defeated. With a sigh he nodded and with a blink of her eyes found he was able to move freely with a smirk, he flipped her over and engaged her in another rough but passionate locking of lips Flora's tongue pushed its way into Gaile's mouth and wrapped around his tongue as she tasted him, finding his flavor to be an enjoyable one she retracted her tongue back into her own mouth as they broke for air with a sly grin Gaile moved a bit lower focusing his attention on her breasts he took one in his hand and began to fondle it earning no reaction from flora at first but before long Gaile began to notice a hitch in her breathing she was enjoying it, victory was at hand for him! "More… Gaile please give me more..." She said in a low whisp of a voice that almost went unheard were it not for Gaile's enhanced senses.

Taking notice that her nipples had hardened as a bodily response to the stimuli that Gaile was giving her he took the sensitive nub of her right breast into his mouth suckling on it like and infant would when being breast fed, she couldn't help but let out a light squeak of pleasure at his sudden action "Oh! Gaile..." she moaned his name out "You're suckling so hard but no milk will come out because I'm not pregnant." She said with a light giggle which then turned to a whine as he stopped what he was doing to fix her with a smirk as he went even lower planting kisses on her abdomen as he went. Just as he reached her womanhood she stopped him "Not yet Gaile..." She said with a warning tone as she flipped him over with a grunt Gaile tried to get up but found himself staring at Flora's womanhood with her face resting over his erect member "Well Gaile?" She said as she began to lick Gaile's rock hard cock in a teasing manner that got him to let out light gasps and grunts of pleasure, not one to admit defeat easily he buried himself in her slit prodding her with his tongue, suckling on her exposed clitoris. With a moan in response to the stimulation he was giving her she took his member in her mouth and began to suck on him even for her his length and girth presented a challenge as she continued to moan as he continued his ministrations feeling her core begin to tense up she knew she was close to her limit and she could tell from his rapid pulse that he was too. Wanting to end things quickly she loosened the muscles in her throat and took the full length of his member into her mouth bobbing her head up and down driving him mad with pleasure as he began to increase his speed as he ate her out. Unable to withstand any more she let out a loud, but muffled moan as her nectar gushed forward from her womanhood, a sweet tasting fluid that Gaile greedily drank and lapped at, moments later Gaile let out a deep and throaty moan as he went over the edge and spilled his load down Flora's throat enjoying his taste she gulped down his seed just as greedily as he drank of her nectar. With both Gaile and Flora laying next to one another panting as they wound down Gaile took his place on top of her and planted a kiss on her forehead she blushed a deep shade of crimson as she felt Gaile tip prodding at the entrance to her flower. Looking into her eyes for any sign that she didn't want this she blinked "Go ahead Gaile, claim your prize" She said with a loving expression upon her face as she pulled Gaile into a passionate kiss, all the while she moaned as he slid into her moist depths. Nerco felt amazing sure but Flora was in a league of her own as he immediately blew another load inside of her as soon as he pushed into her "Haah~ S- So hot!" she moaned as her walls clamped down on him.

Nowhere near done, Gaile pulled himself out of her till just his tip remained inside of her, before thrusting his whole length back inside of her earning a gasp of pleasure from the Great One that was writhing in ecstasy under him. He repeated the action picking up his pace until the dull pounding noise of bodies hitting each other could be heard, both Gaile and Flora were panting with exhaustion as they continued their passionate dance before long Flora felt her insides coil up again as her limit drew ever closer. "Gaile… I'm going to cum!" she cried out as she pulled him into another kiss, Gaile, having reached his limit emptied himself within her waiting womb, the heat of his seed driving Flora into another orgasm as her nectar sprayed out coating Gaile's crotch in her juices keeping himself buried inside of her he felt sleep begin to weigh down his eyelids and before long he fell into unconsciousness, his head resting in her bosom.

Flora herself however, was unable to sleep she was almost satisfied, Gaile was good but she needed more! As if in response The red and black aura that signified an oncoming transformation for Gaile rolling around as his body mass shifted around to accommodate his beastly frame he slid out of her womanhood earning a moan from the movement.

As the transformation came to its completion Flora found herself being pinned down by a beast almost twice her size, piercing golden eyes with slitted pupils bored into her own blood red eyes, as his tip pressed against her womanhood without any foreplay he thrust into her earning a pained gasp from the great one "G-Gaile! It's too big pull out!" She begged but the beast atop her was having none of it as it increased its speed just a little bit before long her pain turned to pleasure as he began to thrust quickly and erratically some soft and other harder and faster, then slower and softer, Flora was loving every second of it, "I… I think I might actually get addicted to this." She stated to no one in particular as Gaile continued to have his way with her, before long she felt his speed increase once more as she felt the slight bulge of his knot hit her entrance "No way, Gaile." She said through her own moaning "There's no way in hell that thing is going to fit inside of me… I'll break!" She screamed out as she once again felt her inside begin to coil up as she was once again pushed to her limit. With a roar Gaile thrust himself into her depths thrice more as the fist sized bulge slipped into her depths locking the Beast and Great One together as he emptied another load of his bestial seed into her womb the intense heat and consistency of his seed drover her over the edge as another orgasm rocked her body her innermost walls clamping down on Gaile like a vice squeezing every last drop of his seed out of him Flora enveloped Gaile in a hug around his neck as he pulled himself free of her depths with a grunt causing her to let out a long and drawn out moan as another orgasm was rode out by the female Great One and a mixture of his seed and her nectar spilled out onto the ground there was a noticeable bulge on her abdomen "Haah… Haah.. Hah.. I… I think you might have put a little beast inside of me Gaile…" She said as she rubbed her stomach, Gaile's response was to pull her into another embrace as the two let sleep take them, the seed in her womb leaking out of her womanhood and spilling onto the ground as she fell asleep in his embrace.

 **Okay, Lemon's over folks, Back to the story!**

Back with Nerco, Maria and Gehrman They had decided to stop in Oedon Chapel to rest and take shelter while they waited for Gaile to return to them. "I swear if Flora had her way with him while Gaile was under the effects of the blood moon..." Nerco muttered under her breath as she tried to relax and let sleep take her. With great difficulty she finally fell asleep in the company of the other two Old Hunters who were keeping watch along with the ever friendly Chapel Dweller.

I hope you all enjoy this chapter and "enjoy" it again. I'll see you all in Chapter Nineteen!

TiberiumSoul Out!


	19. Chapter 19

Today was a slow day in the Lower Loran Barracks, Onnen herself wasn't needed today so she could sleep in a bit longer or so she thought as she sat up in her bed, cold beads of sweat trailing down her form, she wasn't one to have nightmares after all she had walked within one and experienced one of many horrors contained within it. "So much for sleeping in today," she said with an outward sigh as she got up from her bed and began to remake it, she wasn't as messy of a person as Thaeon and as such she liked to keep her quarters in a neat and orderly state. She started her day as usual, an early morning workout to keep her body in peak physical condition, followed with a soothing warm shower to wash away the sweat from her workout, her morning routine completed she dressed in her usual boneash garb and walked out of her quarters as it was every day Thaeon, her lieutenant and her lover was the first person to greet her, "Good morning Captain," Thaeon said as he followed her "At ease Lieutenant," She said waving him off as she strolled forward to find that the other keepers in the barracks had already gone about their assigned duties without her needing to get them started "I got them started for you Onnen," Thaeon said walking up to her stopping next to her, "You do deserve a day off once in a while," He said looking at her with an unreadable expression.

"Oh… As much as I would love to agree Lieutenant…-" A chilling voice spoke out from within the crowd of Keepers "- I have to unfortunately disagree." The voice spoke once more as the crowd parted to reveal a familiar visage from the Nightmare Frontier, "It's starting to get a bit cramped in there you know… I have to come out sooner or later" spoke a very human like Breeder who's mandible jaw split open to reveal two very long needle sharp fangs and a multitude of tentacle like tongues before it started growling at Onnen in a most harrowing revelation that began to clarify all for the Captain of the Barracks, who stood frozen in the presence of another monster like the one who took her against her will in the Frontier before she suddenly found herself pinned to the wall held in place by a firm grip on her neck as it spoke its revelation. "Its only a matter of time," He spoke before resting himself next to her ear to whisper one last farewell "I am coming whether you like it or not…" He paused for a moment before finishing, "Mother."

It took a considerable amount of effort to get a woman like Onnen to cry out in fear but the nightmare she just experienced did the trick as she let out an ear piercing cry of fear that instantly had Thaeon in her quarters sword at his side ready to strike down whatever had her in such a state.

Thaeon looked at her wordlessly for an explanation when her hand suddenly rest over her abdomen she felt her fears confirm themselves as she felt something lurch under her hand "Oh gods no… no no no no no" She said quickly which confused Thaeon even more "Onnen what's wrong..." He asked her as he briskly walked over to her side "I thought I was done with that thing from the nightmare..." She started to say as tears welled up in her eyes "I don't think I passed all of them out of my womb..." She paused as the tears began to flow down her cheeks "There's one inside of me still..." She paused, catching Thaeon's ember orange eyes "difference here is that this one's been fertilized and hatched." She said as the weight of her words dawned on him "Oh… oh gods no Don't tell me that… When we..." He paused in shock, unable to complete his thought. "The egg was still inside of me from my ordeal in the Nightmare Frontier..." She said as she looked down at the floor "Make no mistake… My feelings for you haven't changed in the least… you idiot."

Without warning Thaeon took her by surprise holding her in a loving embrace pressing his forehead to hers, "As if I would ever think that you idiot." he said as he took a move from Gaile's playbook and kissed her on the forehead, the act doing wonders to calm her racing mind "We'll deal with this when you're ready to but for now you need to rest." He said after breaking the kiss getting up from her bed he began to walk toward the door back to his quarters when her heard her speak up, "Thaeon..." Looking at her over his shoulder he paused in her doorway "Yeah?" He asked, "Stay with me tonight… Please..." She asked him showing a completely different side of her that he hadn't seen since they were kids, without even so much as a nod he turned on a heel and walked back over to her, "Scoot over," He said as he lay down in bed with her wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close to him sleep came quickly for both of them.

Elsewhere in Oedon Chapel, whilst Gehrman rested himself from taking first watch Maria and Nerco had decided it best to keep watch together. As the two ageless women sat around the small fire Nerco had built for them to keep warm, despite the fact that a hunter like Maria who grew up in Cainhurst, a place known for its merciless winters could not perish from exposure in any degree, nor could Nerco due to the unique properties of her blood, that of course went without saying, being weakened by numbing mist in Cainhurst left her deprived of that ability which without Gaile's swift actions would have likely resulted in her succumbing to the piercing cold.

While Maria kept her gaze on the two doors leading respectively to the Grand Cathedral and the Cathedral Square, before long she found herself lost in thoughts of the past and unconsciously she found herself asking, "How long has it been since that night in the Cathedral Square..." a question that seemed to fall on deaf ears before Maria felt a familiar hand rest on her shoulder, "The past is the past Maria" Nerco spoke to her former mentor, "Neither one of us can change what happened that night and it does no good to get hung up on it" She finished in a cold and unfeeling tone that left Maria letting out a silent, unseen wince. "I'm sorry..." Was all Nerco said without looking at Maria instead focusing her eyes on the sleeping form of The First Hunter, his chest slowly rising and falling with every breath he took, but Nerco knew all too well that Gehrman was a light sleeper always ready to fight for those he cared for at the drop of a hat. "He's just like you in so many ways Gehrman..." she muttered under her breath, though it was barely audible to the Cainhurst Knight sitting not three feet from her, it did not however, go unnoticed by the sleeping man in front of her as he spoke from beneath the hat resting over his face "That he is young miss, that he is." Gehrman spoke in a low tone as he rose from his slumber "Something is troubling you, don't try to hide it from me young miss" He said with a wry but genuine smile "I'm old, not blind…" He finished locking eyes with her in a stern almost fatherly gaze. "I cant stop worrying about him..." Nerco started to say "I don't know if he's alive still or if Flora was forced to end him due to the effects of the blood moon." She finished, finding the floor to be a rather interesting place to turn her attention.

In the Dreamscape however, Gaile found himself awakening in the field of lilies that he fought Gehrman in all those years ago with a throbbing pain pounding away in his head "What happened..." He asked no one in particular as he staggered to his feet only to be met with a truly shocking sight when he turned around, he found Flora in naught but her undergarments sleeping in blissful tranquillity but soon she stirred at the loss of the warmth Gaile exuded. "Don't tell me you forgot Gaile…" Flora said sleepily as she too began to clamber to her feet, her clothes materialized over her undergarment clad body in a veil of blood red mist and motes of pale red light. "I'm afraid I have no idea what went on here… I don't even remember how I got here… I saw the moon in Old Yharnam and then everything went red" He began retracing his steps from the night previous, his hand resting on his chin as he tried his hardest to remember. "Flora… I was under the influence of the Blood Moon… did I… did WE..." he started to ask as flora finished the statement for him "Have sex?" she stated plainly which she knew irritated Gaile, it was one of the few things she still had over him. "Yes Gaile… we did actually..." She said to Gaile but I figured you'd put two and two together just from my previous state of undress… much to Gaile's annoyance "Nerco isn't going to like this..." He said under his breath, "Nerco isn't going to like this at all." He said once more in a more audible tone that caused the Great One before him to smirk playfully "Oh come on Gaile you can't tell me you didn't enjoy it" She said as he fixed her with a death glare "I didn't but I dare say my other half enjoyed it immensely" He paused studying the wear and tear present upon his garb "He enjoyed it enough that I transformed." He finished and I would dare to say you enjoyed him ravishing you without restraint. Gaile said as one of his eyes shifted into that of a beast, the once pearl white sclera of his eye turning into a piercing black void that was set in a cold and emotionless gold orb with a narrow black slit in its centre. "No Gaile she enjoyed you, I just guided your instincts for a little bit, in the end all it took for you was a little push from me" Gaile spoke aloud in a much more sinister tone of voice that unnerved even the Great One standing before him.

"Gaile… are you… okay?" Flora asked, unsure of what she was witnessing, sure she'd seen hunters go mad but this was something entirely different. It seemed as though he had ignored her before suddenly piercing golden bestial eyes locked onto bloody red orbs as his nails elongated and sharpened into thick, gnarled black claws and his canines extended into long fangs meant to bite down and never let go, "Just give up boy!" Gaile said in the same disturbing voice "No!" He cried out in a voice that she recognized to be the Hunter's true voice "I refuse to let you control my soul!" He said in a defiant tone before yelling out "NEVER AGAIN!" at the top of his lungs "I underestimated you once and because of that I ended up hurting Nerco, I will never let that happen again for as long as I'm in control!" He shouted out to no one in particular as he clutched his throbbing head in his hands sinking to his knees as his tone darkened again "What the boy fails to realize lover… is that sooner or later the thirst… MY thirst, for blood and flesh alike... It always wins." He said as he began to advance on the Great One, "I think I'll have you again before I go back to the waking world" He said darkly as he got ever closer to her, she didn't want to hurt him but she wouldn't just stand there and let him take her, not when she didn't want it "sorry but I'm not into beasts" She said as her eyes flashed red and all the strength left Gaile as he fell to his knees "I'm sorry Gaile, I didn't want to have to do this to you but… WAKE THE FUCK UP!" She yelled at him as she thrust her hand into his chest, and violently tossed him across the small field in a bloody heap, with a pained gasp he reached into his coat for a blood vial but found none, in a repeat of ancient history Flora was clutching in her blood soaked hand the satchel of blood vials that would have lined the inside of his coat. Unable to heal his grave injury darkness soon clouded his vision as he fell still, dissipating into ash, embers and pale motes of white light moments later he found himself awakening in Gehrman's old cot in the workshop of the Dreamscape.

With a yell he shot bolt upright clutching at his chest where Flora had just attacked him only to find the wound healed. "What the hell?" he wondered aloud "I could have sworn that Flora..." He stopped his thought as the red and black clad Great One walked through the front entrance of the workshop. "I'm sorry that I had to do that to you Gaile, but you really left me with no other choice." She said with an apologetic look on her face, "I couldn't let that thing inside of you leave this place." She said in reference to the beast lurking within him, "but it seems like you're back to normal, so lets get you back to the waking world." she said offering him her hand, which he took as she pulled him up from the cot, she walked out into the clearing where they had handled their lustful affair earlier before long a pale red light began to envelop Gaile as he was sent back to Old Yharnam, back in to the small town square of the sleepy hamlet as he slowly clambered to his feet he realized just where he was, "This is where Nerco and I..." He started to say as the memories from that night came rushing back. "I have to find her..." He said to no one in particular as he raised his nose into the air and took a long drawn in breath hoping to catch a scent he could follow, it was to no avail however as the only scent he could pick up was the rotten stench of the blood of beasts and the rancid scent of burnt flesh and hair.

The sleepy hamlet that was Old Yharnam was quiet, no longer was it home to Baalthazar and his pack, without too much effort he found the small makeshift grave that had no doubt been set up by Nerco, touching his hand to the small ember orange gem that was faceted into the wrought iron cross he remembered everything he did under the influence of the blood moon "He… He's dead… And its all my fault..." Gaile said as he fell to his knees mourning the old beast whom he thought as a member of his family. It was a rare thing to see someone like Gaile cry but it was a sad sight to behold as painful sobs racked his form and tears borne of sorrow and mourning stained the cobblestone ground "I'm sorry… My friend." He said to anyone or anything that was listening. "I am so sorry..." he said as the tears continued to fall from his pale golden eyes.

Gaile heard a rumble in the cloudy sky that hung over his head as he felt a small droplet of water hit his hand, and then another, one became ten, and ten became hundreds upon thousands of droplets of rain as a heavy storm blanketed the sleepy hamlet in a torrent of clean, cool water.

Elsewhere in the rain soaked ruins, the last beast in all of Old Yharnam had been woken by a sudden crash of thunder, raising her nose to the air she gave an experimental sniff looking for any signs of her brothers and sisters that lived in the sleepy hamlet alongside her, she had succeeded in finding a scent but it was one that made her wary, "A Hunter..." she growled under her breath "Heh, might be worth a chuckle or two." She thought to herself as she stalked through the narrow alleyways soon enough she stumbled upon what was left of the two breeders, giving their charred remains a light sniff she barely managed to contain the shiver of revulsion that shot up her spine, "These disgusting things were made with one intention in mind," she paused looking at the one that had been relieved of its head staring at its exposed but flaccid member and the flared tip that was meant to expand upon penetration locking them together as mates willing or not "Disgusting." she growled, her mangy pelt bristling with her rising anger, with a violent roar, she lashed her claws at the headless carcass raking a deep set of score marks into its cold still form. "For the two of you..." She growled and spat at them "Death was an act of mercy..." She paused once more sniffing the air to see if the Hunter was still there "Go back to whatever abysmal hell you crawled from and stay there." She growled out raking her claws over the other charred beast as well as she stalked toward the source of the scent she was following. Before long she caught another scent "Baalthazar!" she thought as she let out an excited warble of noise running as she followed the scent to her old friend.

Yet as she rounded the corner all she was met with wast the hunched over form of the Hunter she had first smelled he was crouched on his hands and knees in front of a hastily put together makeshift grave marker that Baalthazar's scent clung to heavily, realizing what was going on, the massive beast silently crept up behind the Hunter who just like her was mourning the loss of a dear friend. Finally coming to rest within his peripheral vision the hunter looked up and over at her "Did you come to see him as well?" The Hunter asked looking into the pale silver eyes of the beast before him. Somehow understanding what the Hunter had said she nodded her head in a gesture that said "Yes." as she stalked over and laid down in front of the grave she breathed in the lingering scent of her old friend and let out a pitiful warble of sadness. She was all alone in this place, the last beast in Old Yharnam. If the Hunter tried killing her now she would welcome death with open arms, at least then she would be reunited with her friends in the next life. She was pulled from her thoughts by the sudden speech of the Hunter beside her "He must've been really good friend of yours for you to come out this way to see him… I assume on your way you saw those things." He spoke to her, and she let out a nod of confirmation. "They tried to take my mate from me..." He paused, looking at the massive beast that reeked of blood, and poison. "To have her for their own." He finished as he continued to look at her. "Those things tried to take his mate from him..." She wondered aloud, "I never would have thought that hunters could take mates…" She paused drawing in more of her old friend's scent. "Oh Baalthazar, how I miss you now more than ever." she thought as she exhaled the breath she was holding.

Suddenly, she stood upright pressing her nose into the hunter's shoulder "Wha?" He jumped back at the sudden action, "You want me to come with you?" He asked looking at the beast she nodded and started walking down a different street one that had some rubble blocking the way but she had cleared out a pathway that was large enough for her to slip through undetected and more than big enough for the hunter to follow her through "She's taking me somewhere, I hope it's not back to her lair because I may have stirred up something in her with all this talk of mates." It was then that he heard his darker half speak within his mind "Oh, I hope she does, she may be lost to the scourge but a woman is still a woman," Said the sinister beast within him. "Mind yourself." He spoke under his breath, catching the attention of the beast he was following, she turned around and gave him a quizzical look, her silver eyes gleaming in the darkness of the narrow alleyway.

He sighed dipping his head before looking back up at her "Pay me no mind..." He said, "I was just dealing with something rather unpleasant." She understood him and she knew what was happening, "You hear the beast within speak to you from time to time" She thought to herself, remembering her time as a Huntress before she fell to the scourge. She continued to lead him through the alleyways until she stopped and entered into an old ransacked antique store, It was her lair but it was also where she kept some of her most treasured possessions from her previous life. "Just as I feared" Gaile thought to himself "She did take me to her lair, now all that's left to do is see what she wants from me" He finished his thoughts as the large female beast began to shift aside a pile of rubble that had been covering a chest, gesturing for him to open it she backed away to give him some space "You want me to open it?" at his question she nodded in a yes, with a shrug Gaile lifted open the heavy wooden chest and found inside a small bundle of cloth upon touching it he felt that this was something very precious, undoing the binding on the cloth bundle an ornate silver necklace pooled out and into his hand, landing at the top of the coiled silver chain was a large, brilliantly polished amethyst looking from the necklace to the beast and back again Gaile couldn't help but ask "You're giving this to me?" and in response she nodded again. "Not for free of course." She thought to herself as she kicked out at the door frame with her hind leg knocking down rubble from the floor above blocking Gaile's exit, she stood in front of the only other way out. "Hrrrrmph" Gaile muttered under his breath "I knew there was going to be a catch to this!" He yelled cursing his own stupidity.

He heard his beast half speak up once more "If you don't want to satisfy a lady and show her a good time then let me." the voice spoke in his mind with a dark chuckle. Weighing his options he resigned with a sigh of defeat "Fine… but only this one time." he muttered as a familiar euphoria washed over him "You understand me?" he was met with another dark chuckle "I understand, besides I miss the Keeper as much as you do you know after all she's fine with satisfying both of us as long as we satisfy her in return." the voice in his head finished as Gaile found his garb rapidly shrinking as his body mass expanded not wanting to shred his only set of clothes currently he began to strip his garb as fast as he could.

 **Warning ladies and gents things are about to get steamy because we're entering a Lemon**

 **those under the age of 17 should skip to the next chapter because its all sex from here.**

Having removed his trousers and tossed them into the pile of his clothes along with his boots he stood before the female beast his body constantly shifting its form as bones were painfully dislocated and re-socketed to support his beastly form assuming a full lycanthropic form he made his intentions clear as his glistening red member slid out of the sheath between his legs as the female beast who was somewhat dwarfed by Gaile's massive form found herself thinking that she may be a bit in over her head "Too late for regrets now Cera." She told herself as she rose to his challenge as she turned and showed him her hindquarters her tail parted to the side to reveal her slit glistening with desire as she found herself being mounted by the massive beast without warning she felt her depths stretch to accommodate the massive girth that was thrust into her depths letting out a low growl as the pleasure she felt from being filled shot up her spine she sighed contently as she felt his member pull out of her till only the tip remained inside and then just as fast and hard as before thrust himself back into her giving her more pleasure and receiving some as well. Cera was a right fit that seemed to pulse in rhythm with her heartbeat pulsing up the length of his member as if trying to milk him for his seed, pulling out once more he thrust in for a third time before picking up speed thrusting just a bit harder and much faster, she could feel her core begin to heat up as his thrusting got harder and harder, minutes later she could feel the bulge of Gaile's knot pressing against her lips with every thrust begging for entry soon both of the beasts were panting and letting out hoarse ragged breaths that showed just how close they were to tumbling over the edge together, feeling her core coil like a spring she let out a loud roar as she felt Gaile fist sized knot tie them together as he emptied himself within her moist depths spilling rope after rope of his searing bestial seed into her womb filling her to the brim with his knot forming a seal that prevented even a drop of himself to spill out of her. He remained tied inside of her for some thirty minutes before his knot deflated and he was able to pull himself free of her beasthood with a torrent of his seed spilling from her depths unable to bear the sensation she fell hard into a second orgasm as she squirted her nectar on the rotted wooden floor the liquid mixing with the pool of Gaile's seed, with the both beasts satisfied Gaile began to shift back into his human form and with him so too did Cera.

 **Lemon's over, that wasn't so bad now was it kids?**

Having recovered from his ordeal Gaile began to pull on the various articles of his Hunter Garb, a few minutes pass and he's fully clothed and staring at a most bewildering sight, what once was a beast consumed grief and lust was now a very young and attractive woman with jet black hair and pale ashen skin. Feeling his face heat up Gaile covered her naked form with his jacket while he searched for something for her to wear, deciding to root through that old chest he found a duplicate set of the old garb worn by the first hunters, "Just how old are you..." Gaile muttered under his breath turning to look at the ageless woman seeing her as she came to slowly getting up only to wince as she felt a dull throbbing overtake her… "Agh! I knew it was too good to be true!" She cried out as she felt the bones in her body shift positions as she began to transform again

With a sigh Gaile reached down to pick up his jacket and pulled it over himself allowing the light but durable material to rest on his form, as he turned away from the Blood Starved Beast that was laying on the ground whimpering in sadness, living life as a beast was a curse for her, and all Hunters male and female alike knew that a curse was a shackle that could not be broken. "End it Gaile..." She said with a saddened tone, speaking for the first time in the twenty-seven years she's lived as a beast within the ruins of Old Yharnam. "I can't do this anymore Gaile… I'm only myself when I'm asleep or knocked out!" She cried out in a voice that shouldn't have been possible for her to make but then again even he can speak clear english when he shifts into a beast. "End the pain… PLEASE!" She begged, "End it..." She said as tears fell from her silver eyes. "I'm glad I was able to make love with someone… One last time..." She said as she lay herself down with he neck stretched out. With a sigh he drew his Crissaegrim from its scabbard and with a swift motion brought it down slicing through her neck killing her instantly. "I'm sorry..." He said and he turned to walk away from her corpse before turning and smashing several oil urns over her body before igniting her form with a molotov cocktail. "I'm so sorry that this happened to you of all people… Cera." He said as he pocketed the brilliant amethyst pendant she had given him and walked toward the front gate of Cathedral Ward.

Back in the Chapel, Nerco was still speaking with Gehrman when he put her worries to rest "Nerco you seem to forget I've known Flora for centuries" He said warmly "She loves all Hunters and Huntresses like they're her own children, she would sooner kill herself than kill one of them." He paused "That being said… She's not above putting them on the absolute edge of death." He said sombrely. "That doesn't make me any less worried about him Gehrman!" She shouted on the verge of tears, "Gehrman… Let me handle this" Maria said as she wrapped her arms around Nerco from behind holding her in a calming embrace "He's going to be fine Nerco," She said as she felt Nerco relax in her arms "You know just as well as I do that it takes a lot more than something like the blood moon to break someone like him." She said in a soft tone that did wonders to calm the frantic girl, looking up she saw Gaile in the small clearing outside the Chapel, "Well, look at that..." Maria said with a smirk, "Speak of the devil and he shall appear before you" She said as she released her hold on Nerco, "Go get him." She whispered in her ear as she stood up, and walked to the doorway that lead to the clearing, "Gaile..." She said catching his attention, "W-Welcome back..." She said as she walked toward him, remembering the pendant in his pocket he walked toward her catching her in a tight embrace that she didn't ever want to break from, he soon followed with a loving kiss upon her forehead, an act that had become Gaile's signature act of affection for her "I'm sorry..." He said as she trembled in his embrace "I thought I had lost you!" She said as tears began to fall from her eyes before she broke from the embrace with a hardened look on her face "I know about what Flora did..." She said briskly "I felt everything you felt through our bond." She finished as her glare softened "I harbour her no ill will but all she had to do was come to me with her feelings..." She said looking at Gaile, "I wouldn't have minded you spending an evening with her if it weighing on her that much." She paused looking him in the eyes, "But instead she waited until you were under the influence of the blood moon, and practically went behind my back!" She said as her eyes were glowing, and her armour began to heat up as flame enveloped her form. "Forgiveness will come with time..." She paused as the fire began to die down "But it will be some time before that day comes." She said as she looked at the man she fell in love with all those months ago. "Don't think that I'm upset with you Gaile..." She said as she looked up at him "You weren't in a state of mind where you could have said no..." She finished speaking "I'm sorry… I just… needed to get that off my chest..." She said as she began to walk away toward the main hall of the Chapel. "Nerco wait..." He said slowly "Come here and close your eyes" He said, planting another kiss on her forehead as he silently withdrew the pendant from his pocket and walked around behind her "Keep them shut, it's a surprise." He said as he brought the pendant up to her and fastened it "Okay, you can look now." He said in a warm and loving tone, "I found it in an old antique shop in Old Yharnam." He said as she eyed the brilliant amethyst stone that hung from the beautifully crafted sterling silver chain. "Gaile… It's I don't know what to say" She paused for a moment before she jumped up and caught him in an embrace the force of the impact knocking them both to the ground "I love it!" She said as she caught him in a passionate kiss that he returned with passion to match. "Oh for god sake if you two are going to go at it then get a room!" They stopped to find a flustered maria standing in the archway of the Chapel.


	20. Chapter 20

As Gaile and Nerco stood next to one another staring at the slightly flustered Maria a glare crept upon Gaile's face as if to curse the Cainhurst noblewoman for her impeccable timing. While Nerco however, simply closed her eyes for a moment paused in thought before she returned to the cold and hardened shield she put between her and everyone else, only ever lowering it when she and Gaile were alone.

Maria clicked her tongue inside her mouth, a gesture of mild annoyance that only Nerco ever seemed to pick up on. "You know full bloody well that you don't have to reign yourself in around me and yet you do it anyway… I only said that if you were going to catch up in that sense that you do it elsewhere." the noblewoman said with an exasperated sigh as she noticed the blushing glare Nerco was giving her from beneath her hooded face.

"You might think I don't need to reign in my emotions Maria but look at it from my perspective, I've lived quite literally ten of your lifetimes. This world doesn't faze me anymore." she paused with eyes closed "Not after all that I've seen and done." She finished, failing to notice the hurt expression form only in Gaile's eyes as he brushed past her and Maria headed into the chapel likely to consult with Gehrman. With the two of them alone Maria spoke, "If only you realized how much you've hurt him just now..." She said as she turned to enter the chapel behind the good hunter.

Left alone outside the chapel, Nerco didn't flinch in the least when she felt the pitter-patter of rain falling over her before a sudden force in her abdomen dropped her to her knees. "Easy there little one." She said as she rubbed her abdomen lovingly "You'll get to see this world soon enough." she said as she looked up to find a worried Gaile kneeling next to her concern in his eyes showing more than on his face "you alright?" he asked as he pressed his forehead to hers, "Yes, just a bit of a scare that's all" She said as she still held her hand over her abdomen that was now beginning to show, "we spent so long in the dream coupled with the fact that there's no passage of time there, the child is now starting to grow at a slightly accelerated rate..." Gaile went wide eyed at the revelation "if its growing faster now… then that means we need to find a safe place for you to give birth since no time will pass in the dream." he paused, "we can't go there..." Nerco couldn't help but smile at Gaile, he was acting less like a stone cold hunter and more like a caring husband… 'Husband… why am I thinking such things… we aren't… are we?' she thought to herself as she felt her abdomen swell slightly. 'You really are coming sooner than expected arent you...' She thought again as she followed Gaile into the chapel.

Once inside Maria and Gehrman both took notice of her abdomen but said nothing looking between the two they both exchanged a knowing nod "Is it that obvious?" Nerco asked in a neutral but slightly annoyed tone. "Yes, unfortunately it is." Maria said, "That little one looks like its going to pop out of there within about two days time at the rate your abdomen is growing." She finished as she place her gloved hand on Nerco's abdomen feeling the growing life form inside twitch Nerco instinctively grabbed maria wrist "She," she said, "Not It." Glaring at her former mentor which made Maria's eyes go wide "S-She!?" She said in a high tone "There's no way you can know that!" the noblewoman practically screamed "I don't know how I know Maria, but I just do..." at this Maria's face softened "She's going to be a handful you know." Maria said cracking a smirk at her former student. Finally getting Nerco to let out a sigh, "I know she will." The Keeper said putting on a weak smile at this Maria's expression turned serious, "You need all the rest you can get, when the time comes this wont be an easy ordeal and you will likely want to curse Gaile for what you're about to go through." She said looking at her as she pulled her toward the makeshift cot that was set up for her by Maria and Gehrman the night before when she was to be relieved from watch.

Turning around Nerco found that Gaile was nowhere to be seen 'he must have heard what Maria said and got out while he could… not that I blame him.' before long a man came crashing through the skylight above crashing into a wooden chair that maria had quite enjoyed the comfort of sitting in. "You were aiming for that you bastard!" Maria yelled at the man who had crashed into the chair "He wasn't, I was." Gaile's voice spoke out from the massive cloud of dust "Gehrman, Maria, we have vermin in the area." he said as he kept the struggling old hunter pinned underfoot as he tried to feebly reach for his Beast Cutter that wasn't more than a few inches from his free hand. "Oh, fuck you Gaile!" Maria yelled again at the man causing him to let out a wolfish smirk that Maria desperately wanted to punch in. "Deal with him first then you can hit me, Deal?" With a dangerous smirk that showed her Vileblood fangs she cracked her knuckles menacingly "Its a deal Arkenmire. I'm going to enjoy this." She said as she kicked Gaile square in the chest to free the Old hunter from his forced place on the floor. Skidding across on all fours he reached his weapon and with a feral roar that sounded from his withered vocal cords he lashed his Beast Cutter at Maria who vanished in a tuft of blood red smoke and embers appeared behind him running her blades through his chest from behind before violently ripping them out of his sides splitting him in half in a gushing torrent of blood from the waist down. Turning on her heel she claimed her reward and slugged Gaile as hard as she could on the cheek knocking him to the floor "Heh, I still got it." She said as she flicked her hand in the air to try to minimize the pain she felt in her aching hand. Maria bent down to help Gaile up followed by a swift apology as she felt Nerco glaring daggers at her for her transgression.

Elsewhere in Ailing Loran Barracks, Thaeon was currently being presented with a not so simple choice. "So… You're asking me..." He paused, looking at his lover and commander Onnen before continuing, "You're asking me… To take my sword and stab you in the abdomen with it..." he paused again "ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FUCKING MIND WOMAN!?" He yelled loudly enough to shake the empty barracks in a comical fashion. "Yes, Thaeon… that's exactly what I want you to do." to which he shook his head indicating a "No." He paused, "I know you want that thing out of you but I wont risk hurting you just to kill it." a response that earned him a glare from her "Thaeon ...I can take it or did you forget I got riposted by Gaile, savagely at that!" She yelled "It takes an incredibly strong individual to survive an attack that is meant to kill from the get-go and here I stand." she finally stopped to let him speak "You survived because he left you his last three vials to heal your wounds when you came to." She would never admit it to him but the true reason she survived was because that thing had supplied oxygen to her damaged lungs while she was vulnerable. She remembered in an instant what happened, the disgusting feeling of egg after egg sliding past her cervix deposited inside of her by that thing's slimy ovipositor.

Thaeon let out a tired exhale when she suddenly spoke with the authority of an order, he was going to do this whether he wanted to or not.

"Thaeon… Push that damned sword… Into my abdomen and kill this rotten thing inside of me..." She paused as he unwillingly drew his blade. "BEFORE I DO IT MYSELF!" She yelled out as she felt the searing pain of his blade pierce her she also heard pained squeals of the creature growing within her with a satisfied grin she wrenched Thaeon's blade from her waist and slid back against the wall. When he came to Thaeon was horrified, and reasonably pissed off feeling one last roiling kick inside of her she let out a horrified gasp as she saw tentacles grip the edges of the wound as a rounded phallic shaped head pushed past the cut causing her pain and distress as the creature made an early and unplanned exit from her innermost depths. Reaching into the small satchel on her side she procured a blood vial and slammed the needle into the exposed flesh of her abdomen, with a sickening hiss the blood injected into her and began to knit her wound together leaving no evidence it was ever there. Getting up she was followed by a still angry Thaeon, as the searched the confines of her quarters to try and find the maggot before it escaped, to her horror and despair she had found that a trail of its leavings and her blood led to a small crevice in the wall of her room that likely lead out into Loran where it could thrive, grow, feed, and eventually "breed… oh gods..." she said shaking in fear as she felt Thaeon's hand rest upon her shoulder. "Well..." He started to say, "We're fucked." He said in typical Thaeon fashion. "Not us Thaeon," She said in pause "but I pity whatever or whomever that thing runs into" She said as she looked up into the darkness of the domed ceiling of her quarters.

Within the darkness of that crevice however, something wicked began to fester and rot as its form began to shift and break into a frightening new shape "S-Soo…-n M-Mot...Mother." the creature spoke weakly as it put all its energy into healing and feeding to do so it began using its body like a spring loaded trap it would snap and enclose around whatever walked over it.

With Nerco and Gaile again in the chapel they were currently busying themselves dealing with more of the eponymous denizens of the Hunter's Nightmare that came crawling from the shadows to rip the child from Nerco's womb and deliver it to Vridd as a payment and second chance at life, that they wont be returned to the Nightmare. As another came running into the fray holding a familiar weapon Gaile instantly recognized Richter, last of the Old Hunters "It's Mine!" he said swinging his Saif in a blinding flurry of blood and blades as Gaile fought him off, his eyes burning red with an infection of Vermin. In a blur of pale ashen dust and embers Richter dashed past Gaile in an attempt to take what he saw as his ticket to freedom, "Oedon… I'm coming… Soon..." He said under his breath as the woman came within reach of his blade "NERCO!" Gaile cried as he rushed to stop the madman, his blade was mere inches from taking her, before a massive wall of a man fell between them, his form clad in the bloodied garb of a fallen member of Logarius' Executioners, "That's enough old friend," the man spoke from the cloud of dust and smoke "Let me lay you to rest, once and for all" Richter stood silent before dashing a moment later "Lanius get the fuck out of my way!" but he was smacked across the hall of the chapel by Lanius' weapon of choice, A heavy war-hammer with a soft spiked bottom that made it look muck like an over sized meat tenderizer on the other hand the weapon had a sharp axe head in the shape of a cleaver which gave the towering man the image of a butcher poised to break and cut his prey into pieces.

"I said," He paused firmly "let me lay you to rest old friend." Richter slowly clambered to his feet, standing shakily he glared daggers at the mountain of a man "And I said get the FUCK OUT OF MY WAY!" He yelled in a roar of pure venom as he dashed forward again. With a sigh Lanius raised his weapon before flipping it to the axe head, turning on his heel Lanius deftly beheaded Richter laying him to rest as he set out to do "I'm sorry… But it had to be done my friend." looking up at the two,

He bid them a question "I'm sorry to ask but might you have oil urns, that I might see my friend off in a funeral pyre?" Clearly bewildered Gaile obliged in handing the towering butcher 3 of the small clay urns and a Molotov Cocktail to ignite the oil "Thank you," He paused "we may be enemies for our chosen goals but I am capable on honor and respect for my adversaries" He said bowing to the two curly before smashing the urns over Richter's beheaded form and cremating it with the cleansing flames of the Cocktail in a mad dash to escape the raging flames a disgusting centipede like creature crawled out of the stump of his neck only to be squashed by Nerco "Disgusting." She said flatly as Lanius nodded curtly to her. "Thank you for that, three of my fellows are here with me… where they are I don't know" He spoke knowingly and with a turn of his cloak he was off. Left alone Gaile and Nerco couldn't help but stare at one another "Well… That was..." He paused as she completed the statement "Really weird."

Both shaking their heads at the same time to clear their confusion Gaile couldn't help but look at her abdomen as it had grown yet again, "She's coming soon it seems." Gaile said with a mild chuckle as she too looked down at her enlarged abdomen "Yes, it would seem that way." She said with a loving smile as she rubbed her abdomen. Gaile smiled as well at the scene "Think of any names?" He asked her which caught her completely off guard "No… honestly I haven't..." She said in pause, "I have a few ideas." Gaile said flatly looking at her and I know someone I think would be honored to have the child bear her name. Hearing this Nerco looked at him, "Surely you don't mean Maria?" to which he nodded, "Well… She would be surprised to say the least..." Nerco said in pause, "Indeed I would be." They heard Maria's cold tone speak "If I wasn't sitting up here listening to you both." Looking up both Nerco and Gaile found Maria perched comfortably in the chapel's chandelier about ten feet above them. "Don't even think about it." She said firmly to her former student "I appreciate the thought but its not an honor I deserve." She said flatly, With a nod, Nerco understood what she was saying "Very well then..." She said in pause, "I wont try to convince you otherwise Maria." She said before looking towards Gaile, "Perhaps we should wait until she's born before thinking of a name?" She asked him in a plain and unassuming manner that he responded to with a curt nod "Its probably for the best." He said in pause before continuing, "My parents didn't name me until I had been born after all." He finished, his hand resting within the matted locks of hair that made up his beard. Nerco couldn't help but frown at his disheveled appearance "You need to rest Gaile," She said looking at him she could tell he was clearly exhausted from fighting most of the day "Even You have a limit." She finished, Walking away towards her cot to lie down, naturally with the relationship they have Gaile and Nerco shared one. While Maria and Gehrman took the other two that were free. It had been a long day and all members of the involved parties were exhausted and needed to rest themselves.

Elsewhere within the confines of the Upper Cathedral Ward the seven remaining White Clerics who's ranks were Ten, Nine, Seven, Six, Five, Four, Three and One, Stood in attention before the High Stratum of The Choir ready to do their bidding at the drop of a hat, "What is it you would have us do This evening?" Spoke the Sixth Cleric "Thank you for asking Etrius, but you already know full well what were are doing and will continue to do until we have fulfilled the prophecy set down by the Great Ones" Spoke the High Stratum, "Those of you remaining Seven will work in coordination with one another to capture the Prophesied Keeper of the Old Lords." One paused as another began speaking, "The child she carries within her is of great importance to the Great Ones and as those who seek the eldritch truth, we must do all in out power to appease the Great Ones, that they might bestow upon us, the insight of the truth of all things."

The revelation by the High Stratum was met with murmurs from the seven who stood below mostly of greetings between the four men and three women who rarely ever saw one another lest it was for meetings like this. "Etrius," One of the men greeted with a bow, "Lloyd." He said with a curt nod "A shame what happened to Bast is it not?" Lloyd asked catching glares from two of the women who were still mourning the loss of a dear friend, "Raped so violently by that beast of a hunter and then having her throat torn out," He said with a smirk that ate away at the resolve of the two obviously angered women not to try and kill him on the spot, Their names were Hannah and Alice and they held the ranks of Five and Four, as such in terms of strength and skill they stood no chance against the rank Three that was Lloyd. "Enough you three, I'm starting to get a migraine with your constant bickering." A third female voice spoke, and it was one that chilled all present to their very cores, Kara was the Rank One Cleric and as such commanded great respect even from the High Stratum themselves. "So she finally speaks," Lloyd said with a cocky tone that further grated on Kara's nerves. "I said shut it Lloyd." She responded flatly as a bolt of fire erupted from beneath the sleeve of her robe, singing the edges of the sleeve. Outraged the eldest of the High stratum rose from his seat, "THAT IS QUITE ENOUGH KARA!" He yelled at the top of his lungs before stopping to regain composure, "I will not have you incinerating your fellow Clerics just because they cause you grief." he finished as he sat down once more in his chair "You will remain here to protect our mutual ally while he revives the slumbering Ebrietas" He said as the six remained at attention while she walked toward the elevator leading to the sealed altar. "You are dismissed, you have your orders, Bring back the Keeper and you will be rewarded handsomely." He spoke as they walked out the front entrance of the Choir's Residential Wing.


	21. Chapter 21

The Sun was setting on the horizon painting the sky a deep shade of crimson as night began to fall over the city of Yharnam, Nerco was currently resting in her shared cot with Gaile sound asleep, listening to the slow and calm heartbeat of her lover a content smile resting upon her features.

Though his heartbeat was calm, Gaile himself was anything but, though he wouldn't dream of disturbing her when she needed to rest, instead he began to stare at a shaded corner of the chapel's support rafters, He had felt an unwelcome pair of eyes roving over both him and Nerco for most of the day and he just now pinpointed the location of his potential foe, "I can't see you but I know you're there..." He muttered under his breath, in a voice low enough that Nerco wouldn't be disturbed. As if in response a cloud of black vapor began to materialize from the shadows taking the form of a man as it phased through the wall and left them in peace.

"You saw it too?" Gehrman asked in a low whisper as he came to a halt resting against the open archway of the small chapel they were currently camping in, Burial Blade in hand. With a silent nod Gaile confirmed, "Yeah, I saw it..." He paused, "Whatever the hell that was I have a bad feeling about them, it seemed to be made of smoke." He finished looking at his old mentor for an answer.

"Whatever it was, they have an ethereal ability about them..." Nerco said sleepily as she turned slightly in Gaile's protective embrace, "I sensed them leaving..." She paused "That was what woke me, not You or Gehrman" She said looking up at Gaile with a neutral expression before she turned to regard The First Hunter with hard eyes. "You didn't even notice them until they made their leave..." She paused, "You might be getting too old for this Gehrman" She said plainly to the old man before her who served as a mentor to her closest friends and a father figure to her.

Elsewhere, within the old ruined hall of the Grand Cathedral, the gathering of White Clerics waited patiently for the Sixth to return from his reconnaissance and as if on cue he materialized in a tuft of smoke and vapor at the top of the stairs of the ancient hall

"He noticed me… It took them all night but he figured me out before the others." Etrius spoke in an annoyed tone as he relayed what he had seen.

"So there are Three Hunters protecting the Keeper?" Spoke Alice in a quiet tone as she absentmindedly sharpened the ornate but curious pair of blades she used as her preferred weapons of choice before looking to her companion who nodded before speaking "Seems too easy..." she muttered lowly a gesture that Etrius scowled at "Its going to be anything but easy you two The Lady of the Astral Clocktower, and The First Hunter are protecting her alongside Gaile." he said in an exasperated tone at this both Hannah and Alice went wide eyed "You lie Etrius!" She paused before continuing, "Maria and Gehrman both died decades ago… Maria ended her own life when she could no longer stomach her duties and Gehrman… No one honestly knows what happened to him he simply vanished without a trace one evening..." Hannah said with a raised tone as she regarded Lloyd and the other three Clerics who alongside the rest of their ranks were preparing their weapons of choice. The Tenth had chosen his most favored weapon, a straight bladed sword cane that held a deadly secret, The Threaded Cane was a staple of the hunters arsenal used both by workshop Hunters and the church's own ministers. Alongside this, he placed a standard configuration Albrecht Repeater into a side holster along with a belt of quicksilver bullets with which to keep it loaded and readied for combat, The Ninth and Seventh both chose to wield the great war picks once used by the oldest Hunters of the Church, both detesting the use of firearms they instead chose a satchel of throwing daggers, each blade almost a foot in length and honed to a fine, serrated edge, Etrius chose to arm himself with a weapon of Cainhurst Descent, a short straight bladed Chikage with a power-keg designed scabbard that allowed the blade to be launched at high speeds a beautifully crafted combination of gun and blade, and in his heart he didn't want to be here tonight and he prayed that he wouldn't have to draw the blade from out of its resting place at his side.

Lloyd chose a classic Cainhurst Chikage as his affinity for Bloodtinge was second only to The Keeper's lover and protector the man Etrius referred to as Gaile Arkenmire, Hannah and Alice chose to arm themselves with the most unlikely of weapons, warped blades that curved around to protect the users hands from attacks, one held in each hand the Church Ulaks were carried into battle only by these two as none had the skill or physical condition demanded of the weapon's unique fighting style.

Elsewhere Gaile, Maria, and Gehrman were setting up their defenses preparing the small chapel for anything and everything. Lifting a section of the chapel's rafters that had fallen to the floor during the previous skirmish with the freed Hunters of the Nightmare there was still yet one Old Hunter that had yet to make himself known, and up in the rafters he sat, silently biding his time waiting for help from the clerics to arrive, or so he thought as a quicksilver bullet whizzed past his hooded head. "You missed one Gaile." Maria spoke up tossing his repeater back to him "Hello Brador." She said with a glare and scowl forming upon her face, a similar expression forming on Gaile's as well. "Didn't I kill you already?" He asked in an unamused tone of voice as he broke open the revolvers hinge to load a single fresh round into the empty chamber in the cylinder. He responded with a low chuckle that quickly gave way to laughter, "I'm surprised you noticed me dear Lady Maria." he said lowly spitting at the ground at the mere mention of her name. "I could smell the stench of the scourge on you" She retorted "To think you skinned your companions turned beasts after you killed them." she paused, her glare never letting up as she stared down the insane Church Assassin who regarded her with cold eyes.

"Have you learned nothing with all the decades spent trapped within the nightmare?" he paused, his cold black eyes boring into her own piercing green orbs. "The secrets we took to our graves were secret for a reason and none of these mindless sheep need know the details!" He yelled out angrily, "As Simon once said-" he started before Maria cut him off "I'm done keeping the secrets of the church, they weighed to greatly upon my heart and soul in my original life and lead to my downfall at the hands of my unquenchable thirst for blood." she paused before drawing out her Rakuyo.

"This petty bullshit ends tonight Brador!" She yelled out as she charged the man who had since hopped down from his perch with what appeared to be a gigantic mace formed of his own coagulated blood. "I really wish I had to time to entertain you Maria but I really must be going." He said with fading laughter as he dissipated into ash and embers, his consciousness retreating back to the safety of the Hunter's Nightmare. "We'll be seeing him again Gaile..." She said not sparing him even a glance, "Count on it."

Back at the Grand Cathedral the distant report of the repeater had been heard by the party of clerics "Seems like they found old Brador eh Etrius?" Lloyd said cockily "I would have thought your mentor would be better at remaining undetected" he continued, earning a glare from Etrius "Oh I'm sorry what I meant to say was Former Mentor, seeing as he died decades ago." He only stopped when he felt the edges of Hannah and Alice's Ulaks resting against his neck "Open your mouth with anything that isn't constructive in any way and I'll behead you, right here, right now." Alice said with a cold and unfeeling tone, "Brador was a mentor to Myself, Alice and Etrius and you would do well to show his memory the respect it deserves!" She said with a raised voice.

"Indeed you should." They heard a voice speak out and turned to find their former mentor standing before them, Bloodletter in hand "Has this man no respect for his elders or superiors?" Brador asked as he slowly paced toward the group, before he stopped to regard his former students "M-Master Brador? Is it truly you?" Hannah asked with an awestruck expression upon her face. At which he smirked "Yes dear Hannah it is I, Brador, of the Healing Church." He spoke, regarding his students with a warm expression "And I come back to you now drawn from the Nightmare so that I may assist you in the task you've all been given." With this said he began his slow trek from the hall of the Grand Cathedral with the Clerics slowly following behind "I'll Scout ahead Master Brador." Etrius spoke from somewhere behind him as he vanished into a cloud of black smoke and vapor.

At the Chapel Gaile, Maria, and Gehrman had finished preparations when the ethereal figure from before appeared in the room with them hands raised in surrender "Please, I'm not here to fight you. The rest of my fellows are coming and Brador is leading them, if she can move you need to get her out of here…" he said in a pleading voice, gesturing toward Nerco "It's going to be a slaughter otherwise..."

Gaile responded by grabbing the man by the collar of his garb staring straight into his eyes "How many and where from!?" He asked angrily as his piercing glare bore into Etrius. "We prepared ourselves in the Grand Cathedral but the could come from any direction since Brador is leading the attack now." he said quickly, "as for the numbers with Myself and Brador it would have made eight." he finished not even daring to blink for fear that this beast of a Hunter might strike him down where he stands. "The only thing I cant figure out is why tell us?" Nerco asked in an inquisitive manner her eyes narrowed dangerously as she regarded the white cleric that was held tense in Gaile's vice-like grip.

Finding unexpected strength within himself Etrius forced his way out of Gaile's grip with a glare of his own, dusting off his garb "Because I refuse to stand by and watch those monsters tear an innocent child from its mother's womb!" he spoke plainly and without fear of the company he was currently surrounded by.

Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the Chapel grounds the company of Clerics, Assassins more than anything else stood waiting for their fellow cleric to return, when Lloyd spoke "I'm going to reason a guess that he got ghosted by the hunter, never saw it coming never had the chance to scream." He said lowering his gaze to the floor at which Brador let out a series of tsk's "That wont do well to doubt my finest students of the three of you that still yet live Etrius was the most gifted and what he lacked in strength he made up for with his arcane abilities." he paused, his hand resting on his chin stroking his matted beard "I would reason he's lost his will to see the mission completed," he paused once more "Though he was gifted he held to tightly to his humanity."

Walking past Brador the Tenth lashed his Cane and drew out his repeater, firing three well placed shots through the simple lock on the worn wooden door "In the name of the Healing Church, open this door!" He yelled triumphantly as he kicked the door surprised that it gave way under his boot so easily. "It's like they didn't even try to fortify the place..." He said as a smirk crawled along his features walking into the cloud of dust kicked up by his swift movements, he used the capelet of his garb to fan the dust from his vision letting out a surprised gasp as he came face to face with the barrel of Gaile's repeater, the hammer cocked back and ready to fire and the owner of the weapon staring at him with a murderous glare "We don't want any." he said in a cold tone as he pulled the trigger blowing the mans head apart in a shower of blood, brains and bits of what remained of his skull. "Anyone else?" They heard the obvious taunt of the Hunter resound from within the Chapel. "I didn't think so..."

With a sigh Alice was unable to help herself as she let out a low chuckle given the current situation that just unfolded before her and the other Clerics "Ugh, leave it to the lowest ranking trash to get overconfident and literally lose his head for it." Hannah said with disdain, grinding her pair of Ulaks together, creating a small shower of silvery white sparks. "Well?" the Seventh started, "Are we just going to stand here all night with our thumbs up our arses or are we going to get this thing done!?" spoke the man as he extended his Church Pick from a short one handed sword to into a far reaching halberd for delivering precise strikes. With an inhuman roar the Ninth followed suit and charged into the chapel not knowing what awaited them within, unable to stop himself in time the Ninth was beheaded in one swift motion by Gehrman who had the ancient scythe resting across his shoulders waiting for his next kill "I thought this new generation of Church Hunters would actually amount to something..." he said with a sad expression on his weathered face "I guess this is what I get for being an optimistic old man." he said as he dashed forward locking blades with the Seventh in a shower of silvery sparks as the siderite blade ground edges with steel spike of the Church Pick in the ensuing chaos Lloyd dashed past The First Hunter and found his path barred by Maria, "Get out of my way." he said flatly with a glare that she returned with venom to match "And if I should refuse?" She said coldly as she drew her Rakuyo catching sight of the Chikage in his hand, she couldn't help but let out a sound of disgust. With his glare narrowing he dashed forward sheathing the blood blade as his did so "Then I'll make you!" he yelled out, only for Maria to disappear in a flash of red smoke and embers.

Utterly bewildered, Lloyd stopped in his tracks flicking the foetid blood from his sword so that he wouldn't suffer the ill effects of the Chikage's blood rite. "Where the hell did you go!?" He yelled out looking in all directions in the haze of darkness that obscured everything within the Chapel, "Right behind you." he heard her speak as both the short dagger and saber of the Rakuyo thrust through his chest from behind, tearing major blood vessels and piercing his heart, death would come quickly to the Fourth ranked Cleric, as she swiftly withdrew her blades and with a turn of her heel beheaded the Cleric without mercy or remorse. "To hell with you." She said as she kicked his head off into the darkened haze of ash in the air, She had to hand it to Nerco, her aptly named Fog of War was really helping them thin the enemy ranks without risking harm to themselves but it requires constant focus on her part to maintain, which means they needed to keep them occupied.

She barely had time to react as she saw Brador's gigantic weapon come crashing toward her, missing by a hairs length she deftly sidestepped the attack and lashed her saber at the madman who escaped her attack with only a minor cut across his chest. Caught unawares he didn't have time to react as he heard his former pupil speak. "This is wrong and you know it Master Brador." Brador let out a gasp of pain as he felt Etrius' blade pierce his back and punch out of his chest while he placed the muzzle of the shotgun scabbard to the back of his mentor's head "Rest in peace Master." He said solemnly as he pulled the trigger, splattering the Church Assassin's head all over the cobblestone floor of the Chapel.

Gaile was standing guard watching over Nerco as she sat in the lotus position using all her focus to maintain the Fog of War when he saw a spark of silver light out of the corner of his eye, barely having time to react he brought his Crissaegrim to bear as Hanna dashed out of the ashen fog locking her Ulaks into the blade in an attempt to rip the weapon from his hands but Gaile was much stronger than she had anticipated and to avoid being shot in the head at point blank she quickly dislodged her weapons and retreated into the fog but what unnerved Gaile most about this opponent was that he couldn't follow her movements within the ashen haze.

"You seem surprised Hunter..." he heard her speak before Alice dashed from the fog with blinding speed that took Gaile by surprise as one of the Ulaks was buried into his shoulder, forcing him to drop his repeater. Hearing Gaile grunt in pain Nerco opened one of her eyes, dropping her focus on the Fog of War caused it to dispel as the haze disappeared as quickly as it had rising within the halls. "Big mistake Keeper," She heard from behind her as the edge of an Ulak came to rest against her neck. "Move even a finger and she dies Hunter!" Hannah said, before she ran the other one across her forearm cutting deep into her arm making her face distort in pain, "That was for Bast, but we've only just begun bitch." she said in a hateful tone as she made another slow and agonizing cut across her arm making her cry out once as the pain took hold of her, but without warning, a blur of pale blue dust and light saw the woman thrown across the hall with her left arm missing and held firmly in Gehrman's hand. "You should treat a fellow woman with more respect than that my dear, he said with a deadly glare, The next one of you who even tries to harm a hair on my Grand-Daughter's head will die slowly and painfully." He said as the pain began to register to Hannah as she started rolling around clutching the bloody stump of her arm, wailing in agony Caught off guard Alice failed to notice Gaile draw out his Evelyn "See you in hell bitch." He said with pure malice as he pulled the trigger, blowing the top half of her skull apart leaving her lower jaw and surrounding tissue intact.

Walking over to her Gaile knelt down beside Nerco and quickly plunged the needle of a blood vial into her thigh, but this was not the healing blood of the church, no this was Gaile own blood taken from his veins he watched her wince as the blood shot into her with a sickening hiss, looking over the wounds inflicted by Hannah who was still screaming in agony at her missing appendage, having heard enough Nerco shot a bolt of fire at the woman blasting her head and some of her upper torso apart in a shower of blood, ash and embers. Being helped to her feet by Gaile let out a sudden gasp as she felt a torrent of liquid gush out from between her legs "W-wha?" Going wide eyed she looked at Maria "You're water's broken, you're going into labor Nerco..." She said as she walked toward her lifting her to her feet Gaile picked her up bridal style as he made the trek to Iosefka's Clinic hoping the woman could spare Nerco as much pain as possible.


	22. Chapter 22

Iosefka was just locking up for the night when she heard a knock at the front door of her clinic, "I'm closing up for the night please come back tomorrow..." She called out to whomever was knocking, "Iosefka open up please It's Gaile!" he called out hearing the name she rushed to the door looking out the slot in the door she stared wide eyed at the woman clutched in his arms wincing in pain with her eyes shut tight, heavily pregnant and going into labor, without needing to know anything she unlocked the doors and let him and his companions in, "Get her on the table here." She commanded Gaile who did as he was told without hesitation "Don't worry Nerco everything is going to be fine" he said as he kissed her on her forehead but in her pain all she felt for him at this moment was ire and anger as she grabbed hold of his collar with her clawed, gauntlet clad right hand "Get it out of me!" she cried as a convulsion rocked her body as the child prepared its exit from the womb.

"Gaile, please wait outside with this gentleman and you miss…?" she asked the blond headed woman who had accompanied the two men "Maria." she said quickly as she looked at her friend with a worried expression "Nerco, look at me." She said, "This is going to hurt and there's no way around it but what I need you to do now is take my hand and squeeze." she said, and almost without warning Nerco did as she was told squeezing down on Maria's gloved hand as another convulsion rocked her body and another wave of pain coursed through her body.

Hours went by and Gaile had never felt more helpless as he heard Nerco scream out in pain as she delivered their daughter into the world, "I know you're worried Gaile but she's in good hands and you know it." Gehrman said as he rest his hand on Gaile's shoulder. "I know, but every time I hear her cry out and I'm not able to save her from it, I feel like a part of me is dying inside." without warning Gehrman slapped him across the face, "Get ahold of yourself boy!" Gehrman scolded, "She's going to be fine and you'll be there for her in the end of it all." Still half in shock Gaile nodded and the First Hunter couldn't help but smile warmly at him There's the young lad I met ten years ago. I remember it all you know, how you wouldn't shut up about the Keeper you met down in Ailing Loran. He said as he recounted the past in order to help Gaile pass the time.

Several more hours passed and with a final cry of pain and a last push Nerco felt the pain begin to subside as she heard the wailing of her daughter "Give her to me." She commanded and Iosefka was all too happy to oblige the new mother wrapping her up in a clean sheet and handing the small bundle to her mother who nestled in the crook of her mothers neck and silently nodded off to sleep,

Hearing his daughters infant cries he stood bolt upright and slowly pushed open the doors to find Nerco holding her in a protective embrace, noticing Gaile she smiled warmly and bid him to come meet his daughter who was beginning to stir feeling the presence of her father. "She's perfect." Gaile said as he held her in his arms. She opened a single violet eye and stared at her father "Hello little one." He said softly to her as he planted a delicate kiss upon her forehead before returning her to Nerco. "Get some rest..." He said as he began staring out of the windows of the clinic and before long the pale blue light of the moon that was streaming into the clinic through the windows began to turn blood red as a familiar presence began to make itself known.

Moments later, Flora walked in clad in what could easily be mistaken for a mix of Hunter's Garb and the armor of a Samurai "I saw everything Gaile, how is-" She paused as she walked past him to see Nerco holding her daughter and glaring daggers at her "-how is she…?" The great one asked her "We're both fine Flora." Nerco said coldly her glare never leaving her features, "Listen to me for just a moment," She paused, "Nerco, I know that what I did was wrong on so many levels but I did what I did to protect you and your daughter." She said as Nerco's glare hardened even more "You took advantage of Gaile when he was in a position that he couldn't refuse you!" She tried to say in a calm tone to the great one, not wanting to disturb her daughter who was still resting in her arms. "He would have destroyed you Nerco, Both of you!" She retorted right back "Just like he did with sister!" She said with a raised tone "Or did you forget I see everything that goes on In the waking world?" She said as Nerco's Glare began to soften as Floras words sunk in "Yes I used him for selfish reasons, but I also protected the both of you, so instead of antagonizing me try thanking me!" She said, leaving Nerco speechless before her eyes narrowed dangerously "You Stay the hell away from me, stay the hell away from Gaile and stay the hell away from my Daughter," Nerco paused, "I want nothing more to do with you! So go back to whatever hellish plain of existence you crawled out of and fucking stay there!" She said with pure malice at the great one who had shed a single crimson tear before she faded away into ash and embers, returning to the dreamscape. Gaile looked at her with wide eyes "Damn Nerco..." He said as she turned her glare on him "Don't tell me that after what she did you actually want anything to do with her anymore." She said as she looked away before muttering under her breath, "To hell with her."

Elsewhere, in the dreamscape Flora was resting within the moon, streams of crimson running from her eyes as she cried tears of blood she was hurting and there was no one there to comfort her, the soulless doll could never understand her anguish though she would always be there for both Her and the Hunters that passed into the dreamscape. "She may not want anything to do with me but Gaile can't fight him alone he wont last two minutes with Vridd in a one on one fight." She thought to herself, as she placed her sword in its scabbard and fixed it within the blood red sash she wore around her slender waist.

Back at the clinic Nerco had finally calmed down enough that she could sleep and allow her body to recover from the previous ordeal it had gone through, Maria had been reading a novel from Iosefka's personal collection "Stoker got all the aspects of Vampires wrong..." Maria said as she set the book down unable to stomach the fallacy any longer "I appreciate the recommendation but I would rather read a story that has some basis in actual facts" She continued "For one, Vilebloods, who are vampiric in nature don't just randomly burst into flames when exposed to direct sunlight" she said, "We can walk around in the daylight like any normal human." she paused, "Secondly, he got the thirst part wrong, We dont have an unquenchable thirst for blood that must be sated every night..." She paused again "Honestly, did this man do even the slightest bit of research?" She asked the woman who was trying hard not to laugh at her scrutiny of the fictitious tale. "And what about you Maria, you seem to know quite a bit about the Vilebloods of Castle Cainhurst." Iosefka said with a sly tone and a wink "You have nothing to hide here Milady" Iosefka said as she performed a rather comedic curtsy that made Maria let out an amused chuckle. "It's nice to be able to relax, not having to keep my guard up all the time, it really wears down on me." She said as she flashed her fangs at the woman making her shiver slightly and walk quickly up the hall of the darkened clinic to check on the sleeping Nerco.

Peeking inside the doorway Gaile looked up from his vigil, watching her sleep and nodded silently to her and walked out of the room closing the door "She finally went to sleep." he spoke quietly "I have business to attend to, if she wakes while I'm gone tell Gehrman and Maria to protect her with everything they have." at this Iosefka grabbed hold of Gaile's shoulder stopping him leaving "Gaile what have you gotten me involved in with helping to deliver your child into the world" She asked him with a pleading look in her eyes "Please I need to know." She said, with a sigh Gaile relented "There's a war going on for that child." He paused, "The Church wants her because she is a perfect union of Beast and Kin she's a hybrid child that could be stronger than both of us combined and they fear the day she realizes that potential." He said as he felt her hand leave his shoulder "Gaile this place will always offer sanctuary to you and your family, I'll protect them with my life as well." She said as Gaile waved to her as he walked out of the clinic, what greeted him outside was the patiently waiting form of Etrius. "You need to go to Upper Cathedral Ward," He paused, "I can take you there." he said to Gaile who simple nodded to him in confirmation "Take me then, but after this we're done." he paused before fixing the former cleric with a hard glare as bestial slits stared him down, "If I ever see you near my family I wont hesitate to kill you, am I understood Etrius?" the man responded with a curt nod "Let's be on our way then." He said as he led the way to the Upper Cathedral Ward.

From the dreamscape Flora observed Gaile and even peeked in on the slumbering Nerco but what unnerved her most was the scene unfolding deep within the confines of the clinic, she watched as a twin of Doctor Iosefka silently crept up behind the kind woman as she was sitting in her study reading and wordlessly slit her throat taking her garb as her own making sure not to stain it with blood "Seems I'm going to be going back whether she wants me there or not." She paused as she opened a gateway to the outside entrance of the clinic, thankfully Gaile was still there with the Church turncoat.

She appeared before the two in a blinding flash of red light "before you try and chase me off like she did shut up and listen." She commanded, "I just watched a lookalike of the Doctor kill the real Doctor, Nerco is in danger!" turning on a heel he was about to sprint back into the clinic when he heard the clicking of a gun hammer sound from behind him, "I can't let you do that Gaile." Etrius said as he cast a celestial barrier that prevented Flora from interfering, "I knew I couldn't trust a man of the church!" he yelled out furiously "but I'll grant you this, you played your part quite well and actually had me going for a minute." he paused before looking at the great one on the other side of the barrier, "Flora... Save her, save them both! Do whatever it takes!" With a curt nod she established a mental link with the only person she knew would listen. "Gehrman! Wake up! Its me Flora..." at this he sat bolt upright "What do you want Flora?" He asked, "Haven't you caused Nerco and Gaile enough pain?" He said before her tone turned serious "Old man, shut up and listen for a change!" She commanded him earning the mental image of a shocked expression upon his face "Go to Nerco, she's in danger!" She paused, "Don't ask how I know I dont have time ti explain, Gaile is fighting the Sixth Cleric and there's a lookalike of the doctor walking around, the real Iosefka is dead, she killed her!" She paused again, "Go. GO NOW!" She ordered as she severed the connection.

Elsewhere in the clinic Maria smelled fresh blood coming from down the hall, having been several weeks since she last fed her throat began to feel dry as her thirst got stronger, finally giving in, she got up set down the fictitious tale she had reluctantly resumed and found to be quite entertaining for fiction, but now she needed a bite to drink and the closer she got the scent of the fresh blood the more a tangled knot of worry began to amass in her guts. "Why do I feel such dread about opening this door?" she said to herself as she grasped the brass knob and turned it pushing the door open she was horrified by what she saw hanging from the wall by several warped throwing blades was a near dead Iosefka who was slowly dying of blood loss "Iosefka!" she cried out and ran to the human woman whom she had grown to care for in the short amount of time she had known her. "Hey, stay with me dammit you're going to be okay!" she said as she rolled up her sleeve and bit into her wrist drawing out her corrupted blood but she was too late, breathing her last breath the doctor expired in her arms, "Iosefka..." She said with deep sadness in her voice as she posed her lifeless body in a position of rest upon one of the many clean gurneys at a distance, she appeared to be sleeping. She jumped when she felt Gehrman's hand on her shoulder nearly screaming "Its alright Maria its only me..." He said calmly as he looked her over "A terrible shame but we have to stop that damned monster from finding Nerco and the Baby!"

As they found themselves in the main hall the bisected form of Etrius crashed through the front door followed with Gaile running dead sprint into the clinic "Where is she?" He asked the two "Iosefka is dead Gaile I found her but I was too late to save her..." Maria said with sadness clouding her voice. That was when he noticed the bleeding on her wrist had stopped, "Come on we cant sit here and dawdle!" He said as he sped off toward Nerco's room. Arriving first he breathed a sigh of relief as the false doctor calmly walked in after him not wanting to give up his advantage of knowing who she was she played the part of doctor very well checking the sleeping Nerco's vitals looking over the baby to make sure she was okay before Gaile leaned down and whispered in her ear "I know who you are and I'm going to give you once chance to leave peacefully." He said with a glare locked onto her face which blinked in surprise then formed a knowing smile "Heh… and where is dear Etrius I wonder?" She asked the hunter that stood before her, "He's dead. I killed him myself." he paused his eyes never leaving her "A shame really, I didn't have any time to enjoy myself." he said as he walked up behind her, when he was close enough he silently and ruthlessly snapped her neck, killing her instantly.

"You two, Watch over and protect them both with your lives if necessary." He said as he threw the lifeless corpse over his shoulder "and what are you going to do with her?" Maria asked gesturing toward the dead imposter, "I'm gonna throw her to the crows..." he paused and then I'm going to end this shit once and for all.

"And I'm coming with you." A voice sounded from behind him as Flora appeared in a flash of red light "I know Vridd, Gaile you wont last two minutes with him on your own." She said, walking past him and stopping in front of the door leading to the room Nerco was resting in "someone is going to have to tell her about the Good Doctor..." She said as she erected a barrier to keep any would be attackers out, but at the same time allow her to come and go as she pleased "this barrier is just an extra measure should someone manage to beat the two of you." she gestured to Maria and Gehrman. "Nerco is going to need all the rest she can get, Keeper or not" Her body is still human to a degree.

With a nod to Gehrman and Maria, Gaile and Flora left the clinic, the imposter's body still draped over his shoulder "I have one stop I need to make." He said as he stood over a low rail and violently threw the body off of his shoulder into the deep chasm below, it was a known gathering spot for the overgrown, flesh hungry crows that plagued the city's darkest alleys. "And that takes care of that." He said with a smirk" earning a raised eyebrow from Flora "You okay Gaile?" She asked as they kept walking, "Not really." He said, "All the Church' legendary White Clerics are dead, but so is Iosefka, she didn't deserve to die." He said pounding his fist into the wall of a nearby house, "One more thing I have to check on that pertains to this house." he said walking up to the front door "Girls, its Gaile, I just came by to check on you..." For a long moment silence reigned until he heard the oldest of Gascoigne's two daughters speak "We're fine Mr. Arkenmire…" the voice said, "Thanks for checking on us, but Have you seen Father?" she asked through the reinforced wooden door "He's been out on the hunt plenty of times before, but never this long..." Gaile didn't know what to say, he couldn't tell them that he killed him they would never understand, He was about to think up a lie when he was saved by an old friend. "Girls, I'm sorry to be the one that has to yell you but…" he paused with sadness hanging on his voice, "Gascoigne died on the hunt tonight..." Henryk spoke from behind as he walked from the shadows, it wasn't a complete lie, but it still didn't sit right with Gaile.

"Thank you Henryk." he muttered so that the girls wouldn't hear him he replied with a silent nod before knocking on the door for entrance moments later he was inside and watching over them till the morning when the beasts would retreat into the darker places of Yharnam to escape the sun. Walking back around the corner he found Flora resting against a wall waiting patiently for him "So who were those two?" She asked "Gascoigne's Daughters, Yuria and Friede." He said as he kept walking forward, standing outside of the Chapel of Oedon, he found Lanius and his fellows awaiting him. "Didn't expect to find you waiting for me." He said to the mountain of a man who respectfully bowed before speaking "We came to offer assistance." He said, "Because I for one refuse to sit idly be and be a pawn in that madman's grand scheme!" He spoke angrily, cracking the knuckles of his clenched fist.

Gaile narrowed his eyes at the three men standing before him "Thanks for the offer Lanius but with all due respect, I'll pass." He said as he walked past the three men with Flora following close behind him

"Before you go Gaile… Who is this woman? I've honestly never seen her around these parts and I never forget a face..." Lanius asked, "She's an old acquaintance of mine." Gaile replied swiftly as he continued into the depths of Oedon Chapel with Flora in tow.

After a bit more walking Gaile and Flora found themselves staring at an old circular platform that served as a lift to the old Healing Church Workshop, stepping onto the platform, the pair began their ascent. "Now, if memory serves..." He paused as the elevator began to slow as it reached its destination, There was a locked door at the end of my path when I first explored this place..." He said as he turned to face her, "It was what remained of the workshop of the Healing Church." He said as they both stepped off the platform and were immediately greeted by the manic gunfire of a blood addled old man confined by his advanced age to a wheelchair, Flora's form dissipated into a fine red mist and for a moment her presence faded from the world completely.

Moments later however, she appeared once more before the man with her sword pierced through his chest, the tip embedded into the floor. "Agh… Damned Beast…" he let out in a final gasp of air before death took him. "Such a pity..." She said as she withdrew her sword from the corpse of the elderly man "He never asked for any of this..." She paused looking at Gaile, "He never asked to be driven mad by the Old Blood." She said, a piercing glare leveled at the distant form of the Upper Cathedral Ward. "We need to keep moving..." Gaile said, "While its sad that he had to die, we dont have time to stand around and mourn his fate." He said as he walked across an old bridge that once was defended by two men in similar condition as the one they just put to death. The difference here, was that Gaile remembered the humiliating embarrassment of being launched off a cliff to one of many deaths by a high caliber bullet to the chest. "I'm glad those two old men arent sitting up there anymore." He said looking off the edge of the bridge into the chasm below "I had enough problems the first time I came here..." He muttered as he procured a small ornamental lamp from his satchel and lit the small wick inside producing a small but bright sphere of light that allowed him a few extra feet of vision in the dark of the old workshop.

Flora looked at him and tried to suppress a small chuckle, but failed as Gaile turned around to face here with a raised eyebrow "Whats so funny all of a sudden?" He asked "I remember this place now.." Flora said "You got launched off a cliff by two old men with large bore rifles..." She said with her hand over her mouth trying to contain her laughter, much to Gaile's chagrin. "Oh shut up you." He said as he turned on a heel and kept walking, moving at a slightly faster pace now, and before long they found themselves at the dead end that denied Gaile passage in the past, it would do so no longer. "I wonder if this key I took from Good Ol' Etrius will be of any use here…" Gaile said as he produced an ornate silver key from the inner pockets of his Boneash reinforced great coat and slid it into the keyhole finding no resistance as lock turned and the door opened with a long and audible groan.

Gaile looked over his shoulder to find Flora trying to hide the cold shiver she felt crawl up her spine as she crossed the threshold of the old oak doorway, "I dont like this place Gaile..." She said as they continued up a spiral staircase.


	23. Chapter 23

Gaile stopped to look back at Flora, who looked like little more than a timid young girl scared of being in a place she didn't recognize "Is this fear I'm witnessing from you Flora?" Gaile asked with a light snicker "You're a Great One, I should think nothing can truly phase you." He said, his tone turning serious as Flora glared at him softly "Shut it you." She said with a light blush tinging her cheeks as she strode past him hand resting on the hilt of her sword as she did so.

Reaching the summit of the spiraling staircase, they came upon a pristine building that was obviously a well hidden expansion of the Grand Cathedral that was kept from the prying eyes of outsiders, this place was a jealously guarded and well protected secret kept by the Healing Church. She stopped to look back at Gaile who was doubled over with a hand resting on his temple, she was slightly startled by his sudden outburst "GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" He yelled out, looking up at her she saw one of his eyes had a slitted pupil associated with those afflicted with the Scourge.

"Gaile are you-" She started to ask before he cut her off "Yes… Yes. I'm fine Flora." He said, picking up his pace as they walked toward the sealed front gate of the headquarters of what he assumed was The Choir, 'Have you thought about my offer any Gaile?' the voice of his beasthood spoke within his mind "Yes I have and I won't do it." He said to no one in particular but Flora understood what was going on all too well. "Gaile I'm no fool." She said looking him in the eyes, "Your other half is winning out, You can't fight it." She said with narrowed eyes, "Although, we might be able to use him to our advantage…" She said with a mischievous grin, "Flora I made a promise to Nerco, I would never let him control my soul..." He said with a hard glare "Never again!" He said with a raised tone as he walked off leaving her trailing behind slowly "Gaile wait I'm sorry I didn't mean to-" She started to say as Gaile was walking away "No, I'm sorry Flora..." He said as he looked at her over his shoulder "I shouldn't have snapped like that." He said, "But I need you to understand I cant let him have even a modicum of control over me." He finished as they came to stand before a massive gate sealed with an arcane enchantment.

Looking at the runes inscribed upon the intricate lock that held the door sealed she began to speak in the foreign tongue of the Great Ones, under normal circumstance an ordinary Hunter would be driven mad by her incomprehensible speech, Gaile however, was no ordinary Hunter. Though its rare some Great Ones directly intervene with a man or woman's life in order to bring them onto the Hunter's path, Gaile was one such man, He had been diagnosed with Consumption at age fifteen despite growing up in Old Yharnam, having his sister to look after he did what he could when he could for her, his constant action and moment despite various doctors orders to stay in bed only serving to aggravate the disease, he would randomly descend into fits of coughing so violent that he would spew blood riddled with the disease. He fought for six long months before the doctors gave up on him, his condition taking a turn for the worse. He had a particularly miserable night when he was seventeen, he felt as though this would be the night he died, as he lay back into his bed he had shut his eyes waiting for his suffering to come to a close, before long a fitful sleep took him.

When he woke he was in a very strange place, a place he would later come to know as The Hunter's Dream, as he tried to get up he found no strength would come to him "This is it." He thought, "This must be a conjuring of my mind… A peaceful place that I can die in without any suffering." He said aloud, closing his eyes, waiting for the cold embrace of death to take him, but nothing happened, before long he opened his eyes again and saw before him a beautiful young woman clad in a red and black ankle length kimono standing before him, "Ah, You've found yourself a Hunter..." He heard a voice speak from somewhere behind him as his world faded to a blur as darkness took him.

Lost in distant memories of the past, he was pulled back into the present by Flora's sudden words. "In the name of the Old Gods..." She paused, "Open this door." She commanded as the door opened with a shrill metallic squeak as metal hinges that had not moved in some time suddenly shifted, sounding off a low but audible groan as the doors came to a rest in their open position Flora looked over at Gaile with a small smile "You would have had a much harder time if I hadn't come along." She said with a snicker that made Gaile groan. "You're enjoying this way too much you know that?" He said as he rested a hand on his sheathed Crissaegrim before walking ahead of her past the massive gates. Only for a massive explosion to send him crashing into to the cobblestone floor "Cannon fire!" He yelled out as he slowly staggered to his feet, with several large, blade-like pieces of shrapnel from the large cannonball sticking out of his back and side. "Great… My jacket is in tatters again... Nerco is going to kill me." Gaile muttered as he rose to his feet, reaching over his left shoulder he grabbed at a piece of shrapnel and ripped it out of his back with a grunt of pain before just as quickly tearing the other two out of his side, in rapid succession, moments later he injected a blood vial into his right thigh, and as the blood coursed through him his wounds began to knit themselves closed.

Elsewhere in Iosefka's Clinic, Nerco slowly started to wake from the nap she had taken, looking down she saw that the child was still safely nestled in her arm, with a warm smile she craned her neck down to kiss the sleeping girl on her forehead, "Know that we will always be here to look after you little one." She said lovingly. Sudden movement nearby caused her to look up and see Maria slowly stir from her slumber in the single chair placed in the room, likely by Gaile she thought to herself "About time you woke up." Nerco said jokingly barely managing to hide her amusement. "Don't try that with me, you were out cold when I started watching over you." Maria said with a light glare and pout that caused Nerco to arch an eyebrow. Maria tried her hardest to hold the face before her defenses failed and she started to laugh lightly Nerco also trying her hardest failed and she followed suit. When they had both collected themselves Nerco slowly sat up in the bed she had been resting on looking around for the one thing that wasn't there, "Maria… Where is Gaile?" She asked noting the woman's hesitant expression "He asked Gehrman and I to look after you and the baby" she paused "He said he had some unfinished business to take care of and that he would be back before you ever knew he was gone." She said sternly as she met Nerco's hard gaze. "He went to put an end to this madness without me?" Nerco paused "Where?" she asked, as she slowly began to get up out of the bed but found herself falling to her knees the moment she tried to stand "Agh… what?" she muttered "Your body is still mending from delivering your child..." she said as she walked over to help her up "Gaile can handle himself Nerco." Maria paused as she helped Nerco back into the bed, "You of all people should know that… Now, get some rest if not for yourself, for Her." Maria said, motioning to Nerco's infant daughter.

Gehrman had been standing at the sealed double doors of the now disowned Clinic, when a red mist began to flood his senses, recognizing this feeling of cold malice Gehrman drew his Burial Blade into a ready stance. "I know you're there… Show yourself Oedon." Gehrman commanded with a harsh tone of voice. "My My… Age has not been kind to you has it Dear Gehrman?" Oedon spoke as her red clad form materialized from the mist, her crimson eyes glowing like burning embers in darkness from beneath the shaded brim of her hat "Cut the bullshit." He said in the same tone "You were never much for conversation, unlike Flora, You believe in action rather than words." He said, his guard never faltering for even a moment, He knew how Oedon was, She could not be trusted, "You cost me a great deal once." He paused "I still haven't paid you back for that." He said as a glare worked its way into his weathered face. "Hello Oedon." A voice said from somewhere above him "Well look at that, things are just far too easy sometimes." The red clad Great One said as she took a step past Gehrman eyes locked on Nerco as she stood at the second floor window of the Clinic. "Easy huh?" a second female voice spoke as Maria walked up behind Nerco, "Enough bullshit Great One." Maria said flatly, "State your business, Including a reason why we shouldn't kill you." She commanded, staring the red clad figure down. "You know if looks could kill... I'd wager that I'd be bursting into flames right about now." Oedon jested at the two which annoyed Nerco far more than it appeared to, "That can be arranged you know." she said with a glare leveled at the Great One that had nearly violated her. At this Oedon frowned "Why so serious Little Keeper?" Oedon asked, though she knew full well why Nerco was being so harsh she was just waiting for her to say it. "Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that you tried to VIOLATE ME!" She yelled out in anger as she sent out a small comet of flame at the great one who stood unmoving before the incoming attack.

"As you said before Little Keeper..." She didn't have time to turn around as she heard the voice behind her, "That can be arranged." Nerco knew in that instant that the real Oedon was standing behind her and what her attack was about to hit was a bloodborne illusion, a clone that would stand there and take the full force of the attack and then disappear. "Nerco!" Maria yelled out as she dashed toward her former student but was deftly backhanded into the far wall of the recovery room she occupied. "Little pest." Oedon said with a low growl, as she moved closer to Nerco "You're rather tense you know that?" she said as she rested a hand on Nerco's shoulder "What do you expect?" She muttered "I'm terrified of you after what you tried to do to me..." She said without turning to face the Great one behind her "Oh relax if I wanted to do anything like that to you..." She paused "Let's just say you wouldn't still be sitting in that chair right now." She said which made Nerco visibly shudder "I'm just here to sneak a peek at my lovely little Niece." She said with a wicked smirk as she stepped round in front of Nerco with a grace unseen in the Great One that stood before her. At this something stirred in Nerco, but her fear of the being standing before her went right out the window as she found sudden strength come into to her as she stood bolt upright from the chair and blasted the Great One out of the second floor window with a large nova of fire that scorched her crimson garb "You won't lay a finger or tendril on her!" She yelled at the downed female who was struggling to get to her feet from the sudden show of power. "A Mother's protective instincts." She said lowly as she spat on the cobblestone walkway and disappeared in a burst of static, before Nerco knew what was happening she was hoisted from her standing position, and held against the far wall of the room next to the unconscious Maria by her neck, a visage of pure anger and malice plastered upon Oedon's delicate features as tendrils of muscle that resembled human tongues both in shape and texture began to extend from beneath the folds of her crimson garb.

It was at this precise moment that then she was clad in nothing but the gown Iosefka had lent her, she cursed lightly as she realized the immolating herself to get Oedon off of her would serve its purpose but would also leave her naked and without clothing. "I think I'd like to pick up where we left off before your mate so rudely interrupted us..." Oedon said with a devilish smirk as one of her tendrils snaked up and around Nerco's left thigh stopping when it rested against her lower lips "Not wearing anything underneath… naughty naughty Little Keeper..." She said as she licked her lips, making Nerco shudder a second time while in her grasp "I just gave birth to my Daughter. Of course I'm not wearing anything Oedon." She said defiantly, trying to buy herself time as she prepared one of her strongest and most forbidden spells, The Keeper's Funeral Pyre. Looking out of the corner of her right eye Nerco had noticed Maria's sudden disappearance but Oedon had not, she was far to busy playing with her catch, Nerco's breath hitched slightly as the tendril that was wrapped around her thigh pressed against her womanhood ever so slightly but not with force enough to slip inside, Oedon was merely playing with her, but Nerco knew well enough that eventually she would grow bored and move on with things, whether she wanted it or not. "Are you such a monster that you would violate a mother who is still recovering from her ordeal?" Nerco asked, wanting an honest answer "It would seem that someone has forgotten my previous promise..." The Great One said as she pressed the tendril against her once more this time slipping just past her outer lips before withdrawing, the prodding motion causing Nerco's breath to hitch again.

"Oedon..." Nerco said in a low voice, barely a whisper. Most would have had to strain their ears to hear it but like Gaile, Oedon and the other Great Ones possessed senses far superior to that of an average human. "What is it Little Keeper?" She said with a devilish grin that revealed elongated canines. "GET THE HELL OFF OF ME!" Nerco shouted as a massive burst of fire erupted from a small orb that had formed between them, the force of the attack blasted Oedon backward right into Maria's waiting Rakuyo. "Agh… That was well played you two..." She said as she pushed herself off of Maria's blade with two of her tendrils, once she was free of the blade they slithered back up into the folds of her charred crimson garb. "But where has your little one gone Nerco." Oedon said flashing her a fanged smirk, "Well out of your reach Oedon." Nerco retorted, at this Oedon frowned, "Come now if I wanted that child do you think you would ever have seen me?" She asked plainly "No. You wouldn't have." She finished before Nerco could speak. "If I truly wanted to take her from you..." She paused, "The three of you would have been dead long before you ever saw me." She said in a cold tone that did nothing to help Nerco's uneasiness around the Great One.

In a small flash of purple arcane energy Nerco's daughter had appeared back in her arms "She's only an infant but she already knows how to hide herself if she feels threatened… Although she can't venture into the cosmos just yet." She said with a proud smile one that Oedon mirrored, "That's my niece alright..." She said revealing a side that was rarely ever seen by anyone, this surprised Nerco "You… I… What?" She said utterly confused, something that caused Oedon to flash another fanged smile at her "What? You can't have honestly though I was a cold hearted bitch out to cause you and your lover naught but misery the whole time can you?" She asked in a tone of mock innocence "OF COURSE I DID!" Nerco screamed out at Oedon "Gaile killed your mate..." she started to say but was shushed by Oedon's finger on her lips "He wasn't my mate..." She paused, "We were just allies that got a little bit too close, that's all... Friends with benefits as one would put it..." She finished, removing her finger from Nerco's lips "Then what was the whole… A Mate for a Mate thing..." She asked when without warning Oedon touched her forehead to Nerco's "I was being observed by Vridd… In order to gain and keep his trust I had to act the part… Not even Flora knows about this… To be honest I'd prefer she didn't find out either." Nerco heard inside of her mind before Oedon broke the connection.

She suddenly rested the palm of her hand on Nerco's forehead "Now for the more unpleasant part of my business here..." She said before Nerco felt a pulse of energy and her world went black. When Nerco woke up she found that Oedon was nowhere to be seen, she also took note of an unknown sensation that coursed through her, it was at this moment that Oedon walked through the open doorway from the outer hall "What… What did you do to me Oedon?" She asked looking at the great one "I haven't felt this strong in well... Ever..." At this, Oedon smiled devilishly, "I Just gave you a little bit of a power up..." She said, causing Nerco to narrow her eyes "Power up?" She asked "A blood transfusion to be more precise..." She pointed out, "You gave me your blood?" Nerco said slowly, "But why?" She asked "Because Gaile has Flora's blood coursing his veins." She paused, "Flora and I are two sides of the same coin, Blood and Dreams..." She paused a second time, "Gaile never really told you much of his past did he?" She asked, "Only about him killing his sister during the Blood Moon… Which was your doing." She said glaring at the woman standing before her, "Yes… The Blood Moon is my own special ability that no other Great One may command..." She said with a pause, "It has a rather adverse effect on those who have consumed the Old Blood..." She said calmly, "An Adverse Effect..." She paused, "That's a bit of an understatement don't you think?" Nerco asked her, waiting for a response "And what about Gaile, why did It affect him like that if He had a transfusion of Flora's blood?" She asked, her eyes narrowing again, "Could it be from the Beast pellets he was using when he first met me?" She asked, which caused Oedon to narrow her eyes "Well… Yes actually."

She said knowingly, "The Beast Blood Pellets that were first discovered deep within Ailing Loran were found to contain a highly concentrated strain of The Scourge that infected those who were exposed to the blood without having ever come into contact with the Old Blood before..." She paused, "Those who had undergone a transfusion of any degree found that the pellets gave them an incredible boost to their natural senses, they could see better in the dark, they found that food had much stronger taste and aroma to it that an average human could not perceive, it improved their hearing to such a degree that they could hear a person's heartbeat on the other side of the town square." She said explaining to Nerco, the dubious nature of the hunter tool that originated in her home.

Back with Gaile and Flora, They had managed to get the gateway to the Upper Cathedral opened but they found their passage barred by a pair of Church Giants armed with massive cannons. "With those two lumbering oafs standing guard we're going nowhere fast Gaile." Flora said with a frown "I know you made a promise but he's our only chance!" She yelled out as another cannon shot rang out with a deafening thunderclap. **' _She's right you know Gaile..._ '** He heard the cold and sinister voice of his other half speak within his mind **' _Let me take the wheel for a bit, I'm willing to work with you if you will work with me…_ _Just say yes..._ '** He saw the flashing image in his mind of a grin filled with sharpened teeth and slitted, golden eyes staring at him from a dark prison deep within the frame of his own humanity. "I trusted you once and because of that, you were allowed you to hurt Nerco in a way that I would never have dreamed of!" He spoke angrily within the confines of his own mindscape, A place within every Hunter and Huntress' subconscious where the manifestation of their beasthood resides.

Flora had been observing Gaile who had taken to a meditative state, he wasn't physically conscious but he could still hear and feel everything that physically happened to and around him. "I hope that idiot can reach a compromise with his other half." She thought to herself as she looked at him with a concerned expression. Gaile on the other hand stood before a mirror of himself locked in a massive cage with wrought iron bars thick iron chains bound his hands, feet and neck, holding him in place from within his prison Gaile's beasthood held a drawn out staring contest with Gaile a toothy grin plastered on his cracked ashen face **' _Do we have an accord or dont we Gaile?_ '** The manifestation spoke to him in a chilling voice devoid of any emotions save for hunger and lust. "Let me get this straight..." He paused "I let you take complete control… A part that already makes me want to say no outright." He paused once more, his hand resting firmly on his chin, messing with the tangled mess of hair that formed his unkempt beard. "You get to take the wheel and in return you'll take out your rage, hunger and lust on the Choir, and once you've killed and fucked your fill you'll relinquish control back to me? Is that what you're saying?" At this the near ear to ear smile his manifested beasthood was wearing inside its cage was wider still his slitted pupils dilating slightly as he gave a curt nod **' _Yes, Once_ _I'_ _ve sated my needs and_ _my_ _urges you can take over again… I'm the beast within your soul yes, but I am not without honor you know..._ '** He spoke in the same chilling mockery of Gaile's usually warm voice.

 **' _So, do we have an accord, or dont we?_ '** He asked again, as one of the shackles binding his right hand unlocked and he reached his hand through the space between two of the many bars that made up his prison, Hand outstretched he waited for Gaile's decision. He hesitated for a moment but mustered his courage and took hold of the outstretched hand and sealed the deal with a firm shake of their hands.

 **'Excellent… Its about time I got to have a little bit of fun...'** The manifestation spoke once again as the shackles that bound him unlocked and he stood up the bars of the cage warping and breaking apart. "This is the last time I will ever trust you. So you had best keep your end, Choir personnel only, the others are mine to kill." He said as the two exchanged places the bars of the cage reformed when Gaile stepped inside the shackles took on a life of their own and bound him in place.

When Gaile opened his eyes, Flora took not that they had reached an agreement "So, Are you ready?" She asked the being before her who fixed her with a beastly glare "As ready as I'll ever be..." He spoke in a voice that chilled Flora to her very soul.


	24. Chapter 24

**Well, Here we are people... Chapter 24, I had planned on stopping this at chapter 25 but if i do that then the story will end at a cliffhanger so, things are going to be slightly longer than i had originally planned, that being said, December 22nd of this year marks one year that this story has been worked on.**

 **From the bottom of my heart, To everyone who has reviewed, who has followed this story since chapter one, Thank You, you have my deepest gratitude as an author and i cant wait to see you all in the sequel i have planned a few months down the road,**

 **So without Further Ado, Let's begin.**

 **A Twist of Fate : Chapter 24**

"Stay back here..." Gaile commanded as he walked forward, his unsheathed blade twisting and bending unnaturally until it has assumed a much more wicked form than the clean and pure sword it once was, the immaculate blade forged for him by Nerco had twisted and bent itself into a serrated scythe that was meant not to wound but intended to maim, dismember, and finally kill. "You can't be serious, this is my fight just as much as it is yours Gaile!" Flora exclaimed only to be met with a piercing glare from Gaile, "You'll only get in my way." He paused, "Also, I'm not Gaile, so don't call me by his name." He said in the same cold voice as before.

"What have I done..." She thought to herself, as she watched the beast possessed man walk forward, the red and black aura of the Beast's Embrace swirling around him as though it were a part of him. She heard the ring of cannon fire and looked at him with terrified eyes "Gaile Watch-" She started to say but stopped as he disappeared in a tuft of red and black smoke, a more beastly form of The Quickening. He looked at her with an arched eyebrow "Something to say?" He asked as another shot from the cannon wielding giants was heard in the distance, without warning he dashed to the left and deftly avoided the massive explosive shot that was hurled at him. "I'm getting real sick of you two..." He said looking in their direction out of the corner of his eye, his golden yellow eyes stained a deep shade of crimson as he disappeared once again he was dashing left and right to avoid their shots, but he was making progress all the same, Flora, bewildered as she was silently followed to at least keep and eye on him if nothing else. She came to a stunned halt when she found the headless bodies of the two Church Giants, their cannons propped up with the heads of the giants jammed into the barrel of each one.

"Holy shit..." She muttered as she walked past them and into the main hall of the Upper Cathedral, what she saw amazed and horrified her. Scattered before her were dead Choir members left and right some in one piece other torn to shreds and as she walked through the hall she came across a female body that had her garb shredded, her throat was torn out and her body was terribly abused. She didn't die quickly, that she knew for sure. "She tried to put up a fight at first..." She heard his cold voice sound behind her, turning around she saw him just finish zipping up his trousers and buckle his belt "At least until I got inside of her… Then she stopped fighting me real quick." He said with a beastly smile that was filled with sharpened teeth "And when you were done with her? Why did she have to die? SHE DIDN'T DESERVE THAT DAMN YOU!" She yelled at the force she had unleashed upon The Choir "All is fair in love and war dear Flora. Besides, the deal I enacted with your beloved 'son' says I can do what I did to her and much more." He said, walking away from her with a low laugh "I still think about the time we had thanks to what the Blood Moon did to that damn fool… I'm going to have to thank Oedon for that." He said as he turned to face her, "You had best shut your mouth… All I have to do to get Gaile back is kill you, and believe me now, if you continue to push me like you are now I will kill you where you stand." She threatened, which caused Gaile to narrow his eyes. "Woman, I would love to see you try." He said aggravating her further, "But we… I have more pressing matters to attend to..." He said as he looked to his left to see a downed Choir member that was slowly struggling to his feet, Gaile nonchalantly walked over to the man and delivered an earth shattering stomp to the back of the man's head violently crushing it under his boot. "Pathetic Insects." He said as he continued to walk through the halls of the Upper Cathedral killing anyone that crossed his path.

Back at the Clinic with Nerco and company, Oedon had finished explaining the discovery of the Beast Pellets from Ailing Loran, as well as the effects they had on people and the events that lead to their eventual ban by the Healing Church. "I still cant believe they originated during the Loran Outbreak… I was there you know… Albeit I was only a child at the time." Nerco said solemnly, remembering the terror she faced as a child, running from the massive darkbeast that would have done terrible things to her had it caught her, were it not for her running into Simon that fateful night she would have likely never lived to be the woman she was today. "Maria… I know I shouldn't ask this of you..." She paused, "But please look after her..." She said as she passed the cloth wrapped child to the Cainhurst Noblewoman who raise and eyebrow as she took the child from her "And what about you?" She paused, "Just where are you off to in such a hurry?" The Noblewoman asked in an inquisitive tone that she knew slightly irritated her former student, "I have to find him… He's alone out there and I cant just sit here and let him take on all of this by himself..." She said, fixing the woman with a glare "This is my fight too, and I have just as much of a score to settle as he does." She said as she walked behind a changing curtain, the Clinic gown thrown over the curtain, a few minutes later she came back from behind it wearing a black undershirt with a violet pattern of a rose stem coiling around the sleeves and coming to a stop where her collar bone rested, also adorning her form were a pair of black trousers that were part of the standard garb that was the Keepers attire. She stopped in the waiting room of the Clinic to find Gehrman and Oedon speaking they both looked up as she walked toward them, dressed completely in her Keeper's boneash garb, with her Rakuyo bound firmly to her waist with a violet sash. "Well someone is dressed for a night on the town." Oedon said in her usual joking tone of voice, "I know its not my place to say but..." Gehrman paused, "You look absolutely stunning tonight Young Miss." He said as she walked past the two, "Oedon do you know how to reach the Upper Cathedral?" She asked as the red clad Great One walked behind her, "There's an elevator in the Chapel dedicated to me." She paused, "From there head up through the old Church Workshop, and beyond that lies the Upper Cathedral where The Choir resides." She said as Nerco set out from the front entrance of Iosefka's Clinic "Hold on Gaile… I'll be there with you before you know it." She said as she left them behind.

Within his mindscape, Gaile could only sit and watch in disgust as the beast within him took full advantage of the body he had been given control of, how he butchered men, violated women, and did worse to those that fought back against him. "You lied to me..." He said as tears of regret ran down his face "I trusted you and you fucking LIED TO ME!" He yelled out from within the darkness of his prison, when suddenly his manifestation appeared before him "Oh do shut up. I can barely concentrate with you yelling in my god damned ear." He said coldly as he walked toward the caged man, "You want control back so badly Gaile..." He paused as the cage bars deformed and shattered apart like glass and the shackles release their hold on him, "Then come and take it."

Flora was unsure of what to do, Gaile had fallen into another meditative state, she could strike from behind and kill him, bringing back the one she looked at as a son, or she could wait and see what happens, her thoughts were cut short when she saw a familiar figure walking through the front door of the main hall. "Nerco… But, What the hell are you doing here?" She asked in a raised tone "You just delivered your daughter not even a few hours ago you need to be resting." She said before Nerco put a finger to Flora's lips shushing her in the same way that Oedon silenced her "I know more about your connection with Gaile now..." She said softly "I'm still upset with you but I have a better understanding now of why you did what you did." She said as she looked over at Gaile, who was sitting down in a meditative state but she could clearly see the haze of the Beast's Embrace rising off of him like a poisonous miasma. "What happened? How did his other side take control like this..." She said aloud with a sad expression on her face "He didn't lose control..." Flora paused, causing Nerco to look over at her, "I convinced Gaile that it would give us an edge in fighting their forces..." She paused as she saw Nerco's face harden into a glare "You did what?" She said in a deathly calm voice as she turned to face the Great One before her, her violet eyes burning like the brightest embers in a bed of coals, "He's like this because of you?!" She shouted, "Why… Why would you try and suggest such a thing? Did you want to have a romp with the beast again that badly?!" She yelled out, letting her anger and disbelief do the talking, she was about to say more when she caught sight of a single bloody tear run down Flora's cheek. "Do you truly think so little of me Nerco?" Flora said as she tried to fight back the tears that threatened to overwhelm her, This only served to make Nerco's Gaze harden as she looked back at her, "After the things you've done to Gaile, now you tell him to turn into this and allow the rampage back there. You are certainly not helping your case, Flora." She responded coldly "Some 'Mother' you are to your Son." She paused, "But, if there was ever one good thing you did for him it was to give him your blood Flora, That undoubtedly saved his life" She paused as Flora wiped away her tears "H-How did you know about that Nerco?" The Great One asked her with a bewildered look on her face "I had a little chat and much more with your older sister." She said with a light smirk "Oh god you two didn't?" She started to ask with a blush, "Well... I can't say we did, but I can't say we didn't either..." Nerco responded with a well faked blush of her own, She said teasing the flustered woman in front of her.

Back within the depths of Gaile's Mindscape, He stood in a barren field that seemed to stretch out forever, withered white trees littered the area, their gnarled and tangled branches devoid of life, and in the sky far out of his reach was his own beating heart covered in the poisonous miasma that was the Beast's Embrace. Looking to his left, he saw a familiar figure resting in the limited shade offered by one of the larger trees it didn't take long for him to know that it was The Manifestation, cold, dull golden yellow eyes stared at him from beneath the brim of his withered black hat. "Like what I've done with the place Gaile?" He said as Slowly rose up from his sitting position with the Crissaegrim, HIS Crissaegrim slung over his shoulder in the form of a serrated scythe. The sight of the weapon in such a state, broken and twisted into an unnatural form it was never meant to assume enraged Gaile and only made him want to kill the being before him even more "Taking me over wasn't enough." He paused "You had to bend and twist one of the greatest gifts I've ever received into that thing you have slung over your shoulder too!" He said, angrily pointing his blade at the scythe slung over The Manifestations shoulder. "Your point?" He said in an uncaring manner, showing Gaile his back, blatantly showing that he wasn't taking the man behind him seriously at all. This infuriated Gaile and against his better judgment he blindly charge his beastly doppelgänger his rage guiding him. The Manifestation stood unmoving at Gaile's rage driven charge "...Too easy." He said as he turned on a heel, hitting Gaile with a swift and brutal kick square to the chest that sent him flying backward several feet. As he flew backward from the force of the kick Gaile reoriented himself before he hit the ground, skidding backward on his feet, he came to a skidding halt.

With a glare of the deepest hatred, Gaile vanished in a burst of static, a movement technique that only the Great Ones should be able to perform "WHAT!?" was the only word The Manifestation was able to get out due to the shock of the unexpected attack, looking down he saw a deep gash in his side that would have killed a lesser man, Gaile stood back to back with The Manifestation, flicking the tainted blood of a beast from his blade before returning it to its scabbard in a silent and graceful motion. Looking at his doppelgänger out of the corner of his eyes he bid him a question, "Do you yield?" All he got in response was a dark chuckle from the beastly clone that stood behind him, "Like hell." He said, You think you have power and control..." He paused as he closed a single eye, looking into the waking world to see not just flora, but Nerco as well, Grinning maliciously and licking his lips he opened his eye again within the mindscape. "You think you are better off without me..." He paused once more, "But I know how to put you in your place… I know how to kill you without laying a finger on you." He said as he turned to face Gaile, placing his hand over his eyes to allow him to see the waking world, "And I do it, by killing her." He said as he vanished in a tuft of black and red miasma "I'll be sure to give her your regards Gaile!" He said, as his voice faded into nothingness.

Gaile's eyes shot open in an instant and with a low chuckle that wasn't heard by any except the beast himself he rose to his feet steadily, trying his best to sound like Gaile, he greeted her "Nerco?" He asked softly, doing his best to suppress his beastly nature as not to give himself away to the dangerously intelligent woman standing before him, yet she didn't react to his callout, surely she heard him "What are you doing he-" He was cut off as a sigil of flame erupted from beneath his feet setting him ablaze, reacting quickly he put himself out as quickly as he could to avoid the searing heat of the flame "ARE YOU INSANE!?" He shouted at the woman who still had yet to move, quickly walking toward her he continued to speak, his tone obviously irate at what had just happened "Its me dammit!" He said as he came within striking distance only for her to turn on a heel, an open palm aimed at his head "No its not." She said flatly as she blasted him backward with a shockwave of ice "y-y-y you figured it o-o-out… h-how?" He said shaking from the sudden cold that invaded him where once only blistering heat ran through him.

"When you opened your eyes I sensed nothing but hunger and lust, these are things that I have come to associate with you, The Beast," She paused as he slowly regained the strength to stand "Gaile is warm, loving, passionate," She paused as a bright orange sigil carved itself into the palm of her hand, making her wince slightly, she usually tried to avoid using her more powerful spells as they often caused her great pain to wield, "He is nothing LIKE YOU!" She shouted as a torrent of dragon's breath erupted from her hand catching him completely by surprise, "Wh-WHAT THE FU-" He yelled out as the torrent of flame engulfed him, the only thing keeping him from being incinerated was the boneash that Gaile had been wearing, finding her reserves drained, the fire left as quickly as it had come but she wouldn't give up yet "Bring him back." She commanded, as he spat at her feet "Fuck that bitch, I just got out, no way in hell am I going back in that cage." He yelled as he rushed her "I'll put another bastard in your belly and then ill kill you!" He roared as he charged her, blade raised for the kill. She simply raised her hand "Children of the flames, dance." She said softly as an explosion of fire instantly erupted beneath his feet blasting him several feet into the air with a surprised scream. "I'll ask you once more, Bring him back, now." She commanded, as he hit the ground with a resonating thud, she stood at the ready, her hand raised to summon another spell, she let out a sharp gasp of pain as an intricate, pale lilac sigil carved itself into her hand. "I'd rather not kill you just to get my husband back." She said calmly trying to hold back tears that were forming at the thought of having to kill him, even if it was for his own good, even knowing that he would return to her.

"Then kill me bitch because that's the only way you're getting him back." He said with a triumphant smirk, she loved him too much to do it and he knew damn well that was the case, she'd never bring herself to kill him even if it meant getting her love back, and when her strength faltered he would make her pay for it dearly, he would make him pay for it even more. His eyes went wide with surprise as the blade of her Rakuyo shot out of its scabbard in a blur of damascus steel and found its way through his chest. He let out a gasp of pain that she knew was Gaile's rather than his own "No… You wont get him back so easily..." He said as he retreated back into Gaile's subconscious rendering him dead until one of them returned to the surface. A single tear rolled down her cheek when she realized what she had done, that she had played right into his plan "Gaile… No… nonononono… Wake up… Wake up." She paused, as another tear rolled down her cheek, followed by another. " **WAKE UP DAMN YOU!** " She yelled at the top of her lungs, punching him as hard as she could muster in her weakened state. Reaching into his coat she pulled out three blood vials and slammed the needles right into his chest their contents injected directly into his heart. "Gaile… I… Please..." She pleaded as she waited with bated breath "Come back..." She said in a hushed voice, barely a whisper, as the tears streamed down her face, unable to hold herself up anymore with her own sorrow she buried her head in his still unbeating chest, "Please…" She begged, looking up and over at the horrified expression on Flora's Face she was lost for words "Flora I-" She couldn't find the words to speak, her sorrow overtaking her she found herself buried in his chest again.

Gaile stood, imprisoned within his mindscape, stating at his still, unbeating heart as The Manifestation appeared before him with a triumphant grin on his face only to get floored by a kick filled with far more ferocity than he gave Gaile credit for, He had to give him credit the man packed a real wallop when he was pissed off. Climbing atop the downed doppelgänger Gaile laid into him without restraint "Look at what you've done!" He yelled as he hit him, again, and again, The Manifestation tried his best to block the incoming hits but to no avail, the muffled sound of Nerco crying drove him on making him angrier and angrier as he continued to beat the life out of the beastly clone that caused her so much pain just to try and get back at him. Finally, his arm shot up and weakly caught Gaile's incoming fist "STOP!… I yield..." He said, "I yield so stop fucking hitting me..." He begged, utterly defeated, he had underestimated the strength of a human and he paid dearly for it "I'm fucking done with you." Gaile said as he grabbed the collar of his doppelgänger's jacket and violently tossed him, his back hitting the tree he was thrown at with a sickening crack. Assuming the mantle of control his heart began to pulse weakly as he rose to consciousness.

Trying as she might, Nerco was unable to stop the tears from flowing, with her own hand, she had killed the only man she had ever loved. Sobs racked her form as the tears continued to flow, she was so caught up in her own sorrow that she failed to notice his heart started beating again, his weak chest pulsations as he started to breathe again, she let out a surprised gasp when his arms enclosed around her, looking at his face she watched with a breath she didn't even know she was holding in "G-Gaile?" She paused I-Is.. is that y- _Mmph!_ " She let out the muffled sound of surprise as he caught her in a passionate kiss that she returned, she didn't let up for fear that he would leave her again. Breaking for air she hugged him tightly "You asshole." She said as a single joyful tear rolled down her cheek, he reached up to wipe it away "Didn't I tell you never to do that to me again?" She said as her hug tightened on him "I'm Sorry..." Was the response that came and she was more than fine with it, "Although I wouldn't mind having your sword out of my chest." he said weakly as she got up quicker than he had ever seen her move, hands gently rested on the scabbard "This is going to hurt like hell..." She said with a sad tone, "I'm so sorry Gaile... I'm so sor-" She was cut off by his finger resting against her lips "I'm the one who's sorry..." He said, "I should have waited for you to recover before I... before we set off." He finished as he began to prepare himself for a good bit of pain "Gaile..." He snapped out of his preparation at her voice calling him, looking over at her she moved forward and caught him in a kiss, he returned it with a muffled grunt as she ripped her sword out of his chest, he pulled aside the collar of her mantle and bit down on her shoulder, drawing blood and a wince of pain, able to heal much faster when taking in fresh blood as opposed to the use of a blood vial, the problem with Hunters getting fresh blood is that very few people were willing to let a Hunter take directly from the vein usually only doing it as a reward for their services. She was about to call out as she was beginning to feel a bit woozy but he stopped on his own, she winced again as she felt the needle of a blood vial slowly slip into her thigh the contents quickly injected into her bloodstream, revitalizing her and healing the bite on her neck leaving behind pock marks that showed she had been claimed, that she was his and he was hers.

 **To be Continued, See you all next chapter!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Here we are everyone, the end of our adventure is in sight, Here is part 1 of the final chapter of A Twist of Fate part two should be up sometime tomorrow, I hope you guys enjoy!**

 **Chapter 25 : The End of All Things, Part 1 of 2**

Vridd and Kara stood within a massive circular chamber deep within the Entrance to the Pthumerian Labyrinth that was uncovered long ago in the earliest days of Byrgenwerth, and in the center of the chamber stood a large circular altar, crouched upon one knee in a deep state of meditative slumber was the abandoned Great One, Ebrietas, the Daughter of the Cosmos. "Kara stand guard at the elevator in layer four of the Upper Labyrinth," He commanded as she slowly walked back from whence they came "I want no disturbances..." She heard his distant voice echo across the expanse of the Alter of Despair.

"Finally something to do." She muttered under her breath as she walked back to the elevator and stepped on the pressure plate in the center of the suspended platform, with alarming speed it ascended to the fourth level of the Pthumerian Labyrinth coming to a halt, she walked over to the corpse of a fallen descendant of the Pthumerian Line, with a scoff she kicked the corpse out of the way and knelt down upon the small but ancient meditation mat, relaxing "Now that I'm away from that codger perhaps I can get a little bit of peace and quiet..." She muttered under her breath as she closed her eyes, unbeknownst to her, she was being observed by the most vile of creatures. At the sound of metallic footfalls she cracked open a single eye as a pair of keepers a male and a female walked into the room paying her not even a glance, which served to irritate her "No respect for your elders?" She asked aloud as she hurled a massive comet of fire at them which was deftly avoided by the two.

"Hmph, Not just anyone could avoid my Great Combustion…" She said with narrowed eyes as she stared the two down "Name and Rank you two… Be quick about it." She commanded, earning a shared glance between the two as they looked at one another before turning their attention to her, "Onnen, Captain of the Eleventh Division Barracks." She said with a swift salute that was followed in suit by the male "Thaeon, Lieutenant of the Eleventh Division Barracks." He spoke swiftly and clearly in the presence of a superior officer. "The Eleventh?" Kara asked, as her gaze softened somewhat, "Arent you two a little far from Loran?" She asked with one of her eyebrows cocked as she awaited a response. "Admittedly Yes, but we're on a classified assignment, we're hunting down a dangerous creature..." Onnen said swiftly constantly scanning the area for movement of any sort, "That's all we can tell you without jeopardizing our assignment." Thaeon replied as he saluted Kara a second time, "Be off then." Kara replied with a nod, feeling some relief to be with her own kind even if it was for only a moment.

The two started to walk toward the Elevator when Thaeon noticed movement out of the corner of his eyes, "THERE!" He yelled as he dashed for a large crack in the wall that held two glowing ember orange eyes that stared at them out of the darkness, "Argh dammit!" Thaeon cursed, "It's too damn small I cant get it!" He yelled "You cant… I can Onnen said as she fell in next to him." He looked at her with disbelieving eyes "Like hell you idiot!" He said angrily, "That thing can use you just as easily as the one from the Nightmare Frontier did!" He said with a pause "Do you want to go through that again!?" their bickering was cut short when Kara walked up to them, "Move." was the only word she spoke as she raised her hand, an ember orange sigil carved itself into her hand, "Breath of the Profaned!" She yelled out as a massive torrent of flame and liquid magma erupted from her hand, directed right into the crevasse, horrible wails of agony were heard from within as the creature burned to its apparent death, "I suppose that takes care of your assignment then?" She asked with a wry smile, bewildered the two nodded "Yeah… There's no way that thing survived..." Thaeon said quickly earning a glare from Onnen "I need to be sure… It survived previous attempts on its life after all..." as she slowly walked toward the charred opening in the wall "Nothing… Its dead… Its finally dead..." Onnen said, disbelief in her own words obvious to Kara, who narrowed her eyes at the captain of the Eleventh.

"You had a personal stake in the death of that creature didn't you?" She asked, her expecting an answer "...Yes," She responded, unable to meet Kara's Eyes, "I had suffered a debilitating injury while on mission in the Nightmare Frontier..." She said as she recounted the horror she endured that day. "I was held down, violated, and impregnated by a mutation of a creature commonly found near the ruins of Cainhurst Castle." She said, remembering the sickening pleasure she felt from the tainted air it supplied her with during the act, It made her enjoy it when she should have been repulsed by it. "I thought I had delivered the entire clutch of its eggs and disposed of them but one had remained attached to the walls of my uterus..." She said, looking over to Thaeon, "We acted on the heat of the moment feelings we had for one another and unintentionally fertilized that egg, and now… Here we are." she said with a slow exhale of breath. "I'm sorry you had to go through that Onnen..." Kara replied "Truly, I am." She paused "But like you had your objectives so too do I, Return to Loran, Or I'll have to treat you both as a threat to my mission." She said as she slowly readied her Great Scythe, With a curt bow and nod to the elder Keeper, Onnen swiftly drew her sword in a classic drawn slash seen most commonly within the use of Iaido, "Let's go home Thaeon..." She said as she walked into the dark rift her crimson blade had formed, followed closely by Thaeon, "We wish you the best of luck in your Endeavors Kara," Onnen said as the rift closed, leaving her alone once more, or so she thought as a stunned Nerco and Gaile walked into the chamber just in time to catch sight of Onnen and Thaeon leaving.

"Talk about shit timing." Gaile muttered, unable to believe what he just saw… Nerco on the other hand was unsure of what she just saw "Those two aren't… No. they couldn't... they wouldn't!" She said in a raised voice that prompted Gaile to calm her with a firm hand rested on her shoulder "Don't assume the worst for them, you know just as well as I do they had their own reasons for being down here..." He said reassuringly, "Perhaps that other Keeper could give us some insight as to what happened..." Gaile said motioning to Kara who still had her back turned to them "Then let me speak with her Gaile she's far older than me I can tell just from the air of superiority I get from her presence alone." She said as she walked toward the other Keeper, "Excuse me..." Nerco said getting the woman's attention "Another one?" She asked with a cocked eyebrow "Name and Rank… If you don't mind my asking." She said with a slight smile, With a light bow Nerco offered a gesture of salutation before she spoke "Nerco, Captain of the Second Division of Guardians" This made Kara's eyes widen "Well… you're right up there with me..." She said with a smile "Its a shame we have to fight… I feel that under different circumstances we could have been great friends..." She said as she backed away, her Great scythe held in a stance that mirrored Gehrman's own style with the Burial Blade "My name is Kara, Lieutenant of the First Division Darkwatch." She said flatly, Now it was as Nerco slowly backed away in shock "But… That's impossible… Darkwatch is only..." She started to say but Kara finished the statement "A Myth?" She asked with a smirk "Yet here I stand." She said as the blade of her Great Scythe suddenly burst into flames "Try to last more than a couple of minutes you two… It's been centuries since I had a good fight, so forgive me if I plan on enjoying this." She said as she dashed toward Nerco but was forced to backstep as Gaile moved in front of her, his new found speed that he used against his doppelgänger surprised Kara "The information we had on you said you were a master of The Quickening so what the hell was that?" She thought to herself as he disappeared in another burst of static.

Closing her eyes she listened for a sound, any sound that could give him away, on cue she heard a disruption of wind directly behind her, "Just how much of a fool do you take me for Hunter!?" She yelled as she turned on a heel and blocked his attack, catching his forearm, interrupting his attempted visceral with one of her own as she speared her hand into his chest, and like Nerco, she too simply tossed him backward without grabbing anything. With a pained gasp Gaile reached for a blood vial and slammed it into his thigh, with an audible hiss the blood was absorbed into his bloodstream, and in a bright flash of pale orange light the gaping hole in his chest began to knit itself shut. Nerco watched in horror as Gaile was shown the same brutality he wished to inflict upon Kara "Gaile!" She cried out as her face hardened into a glare of hatred that was fixed upon Kara "If that's how you want to play, then try this on for size!" She yelled as she ran her hand down the length of her Rakuyo's blade igniting it with the Black Flame of the Abyss. "Well look at you… You have a trick up your sleeve after all… and I was starting to get worried that this fight wouldn't last the much longer." She said with a surprised look that faded into a malicious smile "the last Keeper that could command the Black Flame of the Abyss was the second one born after me I believe his name was Thanitose, he ended up being consumed by his own flame because he didn't know how to control it." She said angrily "Lets see how long you last before that accursed fire begins to eat away at you!" Kara roared as she rushed toward her "This fire will never consume me Kara, I was born in fire and I can tread it as long as I must!" She said as she swung her Rakuyo at her, sending a massive shockwave of black fire at Kara who narrowly dodged the attack with a minor burn, her forearm was coated in the accursed Black Flame and despite her best attempts she couldn't extinguish it. She was caught off guard as a hand speared through her chest from behind "Remember me?" Gaile said nonchalantly as he brutally kicked her off of his arm, "Guh… Alright you two… Now we finish this business once and for all… Let's go!" She yelled as a massive nova of fire erupted from her very core, when the smoke cleared they were greeted with a terrifying sight, her physical form had had changed dramatically, but it was difficult to tell due to the firestorm that was currently surrounding her, greatly obscuring her form. "What the hell?" Gaile shouted out "Nerco, you know anything about this." He asked looking at her and finding her just as stunned as he was "No… I've never seen anything like this..." She said in a shocked tone of voice as she slowly began to back away to avoid the raging flames of the firestorm that was growing larger as her transformation continued. "This… Is the end of you." They heard Kara's distorted voice sound from within the depths of the firestorm "Both of you." Her voice sounded once again, as the firestorm was dispelled by a swift twirl of her Great Scythe.

Within the sealed chamber Vridd felt Kara's sudden surge of power "I guess those two pushed her to her limit and forced her to unlock the last of her restrained power." He said to no one in particular as he returned his attention to the task at hand, breaking the self imposed seal on the Daughter of the Cosmos that she might awaken from her slumber and fulfill a most important task. "I don't know what you're planning Vridd but you should leave now while you have the ability to do so." He heard the soft voice of Ebrietas speak from behind him, looking over his shoulder he saw the snow white astral projection she had generated while in her sealed slumber, even in this state she was far from defenseless as she erected a celestial barrier around herself, drawing a pair of warped short swords she stared Vridd down with a hard glare, her emerald green eyes glowing in the low light of the chamber, with unseen grace she dashed forward her movements a deadly dance of blades as she used what little energy she had to buy Gaile and Nerco time, she could sense them fighting on the level above them just as well as Vridd could after all. "Hurry up you two… Please." She thought to herself as she continued her deadly dance with Vridd, who expertly blocked and parried every attack holding his own effortlessly "Settle down already Ebrietas." He said with a calm tongue coated in silver, "We both know you cant keep this up forever." He said with a smirk, "Maybe you could if you hadn't used so much energy to erect that barrier." He spoke again as he waited for the inevitable. With an exhausted sigh the projection of Ebrietas fell to her knees and faded out of existence as her presence was returned to her slumbering form. It was to Vridd's annoyance however, that he found that the barrier remained up as he found his hand violently repelled as he reached for her.

Back with Gaile and Nerco, the two were getting thoroughly trounced by Kara since she had been forced to rely upon the Keeper's Archon State, sure she was faster and stronger than both of them in this state but she herself knew she couldn't keep it up forever, it would eventually begin to wear down on her and it was before this point that she had to destroy her opponents. "The longest I've ever been in this state was three minutes and forty-eight seconds… I have to finish them both before then!" She thought to herself as she split her Great Scythe into a pair of shorter War Scythes that would allow her to fight both of them at once. Gaile and Nerco looked to one another and with a nod rushed her at the same time, Kara deftly blocked their attacks but the frequency of attempted hits was beginning to take a toll on her as she blocked and parried as quickly as she could finally she yelled out as Gaile struck his first hit, a light cut across her cheek. "ENOUGH!" She yelled as a shockwave of fire blasted the two back, giving her some much needed breathing room, amidst the smoke however she failed to notice Gaile had disappeared, "Its over!" He yelled, appearing right in front of her from seemingly nowhere as he sunk his blade into her shoulder the force of his swing carrying the blade a few inches into he shoulder stopping just above her heart, withdrawing the blade in a swift motion she dashed backward,

"Over?" She stated with a scoff "You wish it was over boy." Her distorted voice echoed. Without warning she suddenly felt the ice cold grip of death itself take hold of her, "W-w-w What!?" She exclaimed as the smoke cleared, there stood Nerco, a pale blue sigil carved into her hand and spread in a circle around her feet as vein-like lines of arcane energy traced from the circle up her legs and all about her frame as the coursing energy came to feed the sigil on the palm of her hand. "Fire and Ice dont mix Kara," She said as the sigil dissipated from her outstretched palm, "Its really not looking good for you, Kara." Nerco said in a cold voice that seemed to come from the cold power she was using "If I were you… I would leave while I was still able." She paused as she fixed Kara with a sympathetic look, "That man's cause is not worth dying for." She said as the spell began to weaken in strength with her reserves nearly depleted from her fight with the Beast Possessed Gaile.

She heard a dark chuckle from Kara as the heavier layer of her armor fell away and dissipated into embers that floated around her as the firestorm from before returned with renewed vigor "And who says I'm the one that's going to die here?" She said as a series of large molten comets flew towards Nerco with blinding speed, swiftly placing her hand on the earthen floor of the chamber she erected a wall to protect herself just as the comets were about to impact her "Not bad for a mere Guardian." Kara's voice echoed from within the depths of the raging inferno that surrounded her which disappeared in an instant as she turned on a heel to effortlessly catch Gaile's Crissaegrim in the palm of her hand, the heavy armor returned in an instant, though she was taken aback by Gaile's piercing glare "There's nothing mere about her!" He said as he unleashed a kick with bone crushing force that sent her sprawling across the arena, with a violent impact she hit the wall of the arena leaving a small crater where she landed, rising to one knee she coughed up a small amount of blood that spattered on the cobblestone floor of the arena slowly she stood only to feel the icy grip of Nerco's frost hitting her again as she found her movements slowed by her rapidly cooling temperature.

"Y-You i-i-impudent l-l-little w-wench!" She shouted out as the cold threatened to overtake her "I've h-had it with you!" She yelled as she dropped her armor once more "Children of the flames, dance!" She yelled as an orange sigil carved itself under Nerco's feet blasting her into the air with a surprised scream. Hearing it Gaile abandoned his assault on her and rushed to catch the falling woman, realizing he would come up short in his efforts he leapt forward as far as his legs would launch him and in the knick of time caught her, the two rolled to the side wrapped in each others arms, they came to a halt with Nerco resting atop him, "You okay?" He asked, looking up at her, a deep blush formed on her cheeks "Y-yeah, I'm fine" She said as she slowly got up off of him "She's so cute when she's embarrassed" Gaile thought to himself. Looking over at him she spoke lowly as not to give away her plan "Gaile, I cant say much but buy me some time, keep her busy for as long as you can, and most importantly," She paused "When I say to… Get the hell out of the way." He looked at her with wide eyes, "I don't like the sound of that..." He said lowly, "What are you planning?" He asked as he took note of her glowing eyes "That bitch used my own spell against me." She started, "I'm going to teach her a lesson on what happens when you piss me off." She said as a deep lilac sigil formed on the palm of her hand, it traced the shape that allowed her to command dragon's breath as an arcane spell, but she was taking the time to weave a little surprise into the spell just for Kara. Seeing her plan form, Gaile nodded and rushed her, "You're starting to bore me Kara, let's end this charade already!" Gaile said as he walked toward her, blade in hand, as he took in the glare of hatred she fixed him with. "That's my line Arkenmire." She paused, "But as you wish, I'll end this in an instant." She said as a pale orange orb formed on the tip of her finger.

"You should be happy Gaile, I reserve this spell only for those opponents I deem worthy of seeing it." She said as small waveforms of orange energy began to flow like floating embers into the small orb that began to increase in size as the spell gained power, Standing in place Gaile returned his sword to its scabbard in a fluid and graceful motion, an action facilitated by memories stored within the blood echoes he attained from his defeat of The Bloody Crow "What? Did you finally realize just what you're up against?" She said with a sinister smile as the orb grew to the size of her own fist, "Fare thee well, Gaile Arkenmire." She said as the orb disappeared for a moment before a blast of concentrated fire erupted from her fingertip, and it was exactly this that Gaile was waiting for, "Who said anything about me giving up?" He said as he pulled the blade halfway from its ornate scabbard and began absorbing the immense power of the spell into the blade of the Crissaegrim "This was an interesting little trick I picked up from Nerco." He said as the last of the spell's immense energy was absorbed into the red hot blade.

With a sharp click and an echoing ring the blade was slid back home into its scabbard, "Gaile, MOVE!" He heard Nerco yell from behind him, with several well timed backsteps he stood to her far right sword at the ready, "Let's" finish this… Together!" He said, looking Nerco square in the eyes, with a sharp nod she unleashed the spell she had been preparing and from the palm of her hand a raging torrent of dragon's breath shot forth from her hand and with a deathly calm shown upon her face she spoke a single word that neither of them heard, without warning the torrent of flame turned black as the power of the Abyssal Cosmos was channeled, "WHAT!?" Kara screamed out as the torrent rushed toward her "Don't forget about me now..." She heard Gaile's voice amidst the angry roar of the Black Flame that was eating away at her armor. As the fire dissipated, before them stood an exhausted but still very much alive Kara who walked toward them, with a defiant glare in her eyes. "If I'm going down..." She paused as a massive spreading crack formed in her armor, "W-what?" She said in a surprised tone as she looked at Gaile, who had silently drawn his sword, "It's over Kara." He said as her peerless armor shattered like glass, disappearing in a small but harmless nova of fire that sent her flying backward with a scream.

Defeated, she lay sprawled on her back clutching at the wound on her shoulder, only to stop when the tip of Gaile's sword came into her field of vision, resting over her chest, ready to strike at a moments notice, at this she smiled at him. "Heh, not bad for a Hunter" She said as she closed her eyes, the smile never leaving her face "I'll grant you this much, You two are more powerful than I… For the time being at least." She said giving the two a curt nod, "I'm no fool, I know when to cut my losses and back off." She continued as she was given room to stand, "He expected me to meet my death fighting the two of you, to buy him time..." She paused as her eyes began to glow like embers, "While he attains power beyond imagination..." She finished, walking past the two limping away, "You should get that mended..." Nerco said, referring to her shoulder, which prompted her to glare at them both "My blood is pure, I will not defile it just to save myself." She said clutching her shoulder in a vice-like grip "If I am to meet me end from this wound, then so be it." She said in a defiant tone, "I will go to my ancestors that came before me with blood as pure as the white snow of Cainhurst." She said as a fiery rift was opened with a swift twirl of her Great Scythe. "Nerco… And Gaile, yes, I know who you are..." She paused. "You're the first opponents in a long time to ever break me out of the Archon State." She paused as the rift began to close, "If fate allows it to be so, I look forward to fighting you both another day." Her voice echoed as the rift sealed itself. With the battle over Nerco's vision began to blur as exhaustion set in, with a light moan she fell forward only to be caught by Gaile once again, "Take a break… You've more than earned it" He said as a peaceful smile formed on her unconscious face.

Gently standing up with her in his arms, he was acutely aware of another presence "Come on out Flora." He said as she slowly walked out from behind a pillar, "Gaile I am so sor-" She started to apologize but Gaile cut her off mid sentence, "You're sorry?" He retorted, "You took advantage of my state of mind when I was under the influence of the Blood Moon," He started angrily, "You tried to convince me to form a deal with that thing living within my soul when I damnwell knew better!" He roared at her "And you show up well after the fighting is done when we would have really appreciated the help!" He finished looking at the shaking great one with a glare that made her feel very small. "Gaile I-" She tried to speak, but couldn't find the words. "Let me guess..." He paused glaring at her from the corner of his eye as Nerco unconsciously moved slightly in his arms "You want to help?" He started, "Then stay with her until she wakes." He said as he placed her down gently laying her head on Flora's lap. "That's one good way to start paying me back." He said coldly as he turned on a heel and started walking toward the elevator down to the fifth level of the Pthumerian Labyrinth. "This shit ends tonight." Gaile spoke aloud to one one in particular as he stood before an Undead Giant "Right, Of course one of your lot is down here." He said with a groan as the lumbering undead oaf slowly leveled it's cannon on his form, with a low groan the lumbering giant pressed the large trigger on the weapon, time seemed to slow down as Gaile rolled forward under the legs of his gigantic opponent, drawing his blade as he did so, "Rest now… Your torment is at an end." Gaile said as he slashed the massive giant several times in the single blink of an eye, he stood with his back to the giant as it fell to its knees, Slowly, he returned the blade to its scabbard with a resonating click that made the downed giant collapse in a heap under its own dead weight.

Walking further into the corridor that the giant had seemingly been guarding he found a small room with that contained an opponent he truly hated above all else, "Oh god no… Not Pthumerian Sages" He thought to himself as he saw the billowing head of jet black hair that obscured a misshapen, bandage wrapped, decomposing face that lacked its eyes, its mouth stretched open, set in a silent scream that quickly became a shrill cry as it took notice of and ran at him with blinding speed, a short sickle in each hand it quickly lunged at Gaile hitting him across his chest in a random flurry of slashes, while not as graceful as the late Eileen in her duty as the Hunter of Hunters this thing before him was no less deadly. "Hey..." He said as he barely dodged another flurry of swings, "Cut it out..." He said once more, his tone betraying his sheer annoyance, "I said cut it out!" He shouted as he quickly drew his repeater and with a well placed shot to the chest, dropped the Sage to her knees "I really hate you people..." Gaile said venomously as he speared his hand into the Pthumerian Sage's chest tearing out her withered black heart and crushing it in his grasp.

With the Sage dead, Gaile walked over to the massive brass decorated lever and pulled it over to the right, thus unlocking the gate mechanism in the main hall he had come from upon arriving on the fifth level of the Labyrinth, stopping in front of the weathered iron gate, It lurched upward slightly stopping in its tracks for a moment before it slowly began to rise up into the carved out recess in the ceiling of the archway that the gate rested within, "Right then…" Gaile said as he walked forward he felt a chilling aura that rushed through him like a blade through his chest. Before long, Gaile found himself standing before another pair of intricately engraved oak doors, not unlike the ones Nerco once resided behind. "This certainly brings back old memories..." Gaile said with a light smile as he pushed against the doors, they resisted for a few short moments before they gave way and began to move, as centuries of rust and decay on the hinges was forced into sudden movement, within the chamber stood a single female figure, she had been the one emitting the aura as he felt it get stronger the closer he got to her, recognizing her snow white kimono he called out to her, turning on a heel she looked at Gaile with a saddened expression which quickly turned to one of panic as she sensed the foreboding presence of Vridd returning "Gaile get out of here and get back to Nerco, the opponent you face in here is beyond you..." She said as she drew out her warped swords "What are you waiting for..." She paused, "Get out of H-" Her speech was cut off as a thin but elegant blade shot through her chest from behind "V-V-Vriiiiidd, y-y-ou b-bastard!" She cried out in pain as he cruelly twisted the blade inside of her "I knew you would break your seal the moment your little… Hmmm... Friend arrived." The mysterious male voice spoke from behind her "However, all the same I had to wait until your focus… was otherwise occupied." He said as he wrenched the blade from her back, making her fall forward landing face down in a pool of her own blood, moments later she disappeared in a storm of light particles."Hmmph." Vridd said, "Of course it can't ever be easy." He said as he looked up at Gaile whom had been observing him the whole time.

What had once been obscured by Ebrietas's body was revealed to be a man who hid his face behind the familiar silver plate of a Cainhurst Knight's Helm, adorning his body was the pale green of a Tomb Prospector of the Healing Church, a pair of black trousers inlaid with boneash platelets that protected his thighs and shins from unexpected low blows. "So you're the father then…" He said once more, he was seemingly a man of few words. "But where is dear Nerco?" He asked, "I mean do forgive me but I haven't seen my daughter in well over five-hundred years..." He paused taking deep satisfaction in the angry glare he was receiving from Gaile. "And I do so long to see my granddaughter…" He finished with a smirk that went unnoticed due to the helmet "But dear me… Where are my manners?" He asked as he displayed a polite bow as a gesture of respect for his opponent, not that it mattered how skilled the man before him was, you don't simply kill a god.

Gaile watched as the man bowed out of respect for him when he rose back up He spoke once again "Vridd Jainkoaren." He stated, plainly as he offered his hand "Gaile Arkenmire." He replied shaking the enigmatic man's hand but quickly backstepped putting some distance between them, "Introductions made." He paused as he slowly drew his zanbat _ō_ from it's scabbard, "Let's go." He said as he took a high stance with his blade. "Well, since manners are out the window..." Vridd said as he took a duelist stance with his saber "Then yes, let's begin." He said as he dashed towards Gaile. From the moment their fight began Gaile knew that this man was some form of nobility as he was fighting with the posture and form of a well educated sophisticate, Gaile swung his sword in a diagonal arc that was deftly blocked by Vridd "You'll have to do better than that Mr. Arkenmire." He said as he kicked Gaile in the stomach "Much better than that." Having recovered from the blow, Gaile spun on a heel and quickly drew his repeater out and fired, the shot rang out and loudly reverberated off walls of the expansive chamber and struck Vridd center of mass in his helmet knocking if off of his head with an audible *ding* "SUCH ARROGANCE!" Vridd shouted "Honestly..." He said as a sinister smile graced his now visible face "Who brings a gun to a gentleman's duel?" He asked as he resumed his stance "It's hardly fair you know." He said as he observed Gaile's cocked eyebrow "You can't be serious..." He replied, "This is a fight to the death, I don't care for being 'noble' You can shove it where the sun doesn't shine" He said as he cocked back the hammer on his repeater cycling the cylinder over to the next available round. Vridd on the other hand let out an audible sigh of disappointment "Well, As you wish then..." He said as his eyes changed from pale blue to a silvery white "I just wanted to give you some semblance of hope before I tore out your heart, my arrogant friend." He said in a cold tone of voice that sounded as though he was hollow, completely dead inside.

Nerco groaned lightly as she cracked open one of her eyes as she came back to "Ugh… Wha?" She said lightly "Take it easy." she heard the familiar voice of Flora speak "What happened?" She asked as she slowly pushed herself up "You overexerted yourself while you were fighting that other Keeper." She spoke lightly, "Gaile went up ahead, he told me- no practically ordered me to watch over you till you woke up." She said again stopping when she saw Nerco's upset expression "And you didn't challenge him on that?" She asked "I would've been fine here by myself!" She shouted "Move, I don't have time for this." She said as she got up, and walked toward the open archway that lead to the next level, only to find that the elevator was already at the bottom of the shaft, looking to her left she saw that the lever to recall it had been utterly destroyed. "Gaile..." She said under her breath "He needs to understand that I'm not a child… He doesn't have to protect me all the time." She said as she slowly drew her sword, "No, its you who needs to understand him." Flora said as she came up to stand next to her, "You are Gaile's lover, you are the mother of his child, and Both of you are his entire world now." She continued "He would never forgive himself if something happened to you two." She paused "So please, do rest once in a while, if not for yourself then for him and for your daughter." She finished as she backed away getting the general idea of what Nerco was about to do. "You aren't seriously about to-" She stopped with a look of disbelief plastered on her face as Nerco hopped down the shaft. "For fuck sake..." She muttered "Did that woman hear a single word I just said?" She asked herself out loud as she followed suit, she found herself astonished as she saw Nerco had planted her blade into the wall of the shaft to slow her falling momentum, she had come to a stop just a few feet above the ground planting one of her feet against the brick wall she pushed off of it freeing her blade from its place embedded into the brick wall, and gracefully landed on her other foot.

Without warning Flora landed next to her with a swoop of bloody red wings that appeared to be a woven mass of fleshy tendrils "Oedon isn't the only one with tentacles you know~" She teased Nerco, the statement making a deep blush form on her cheeks, She was pulled from the darker thoughts in her mind when she heard Gaile's scream of pain in the distance "Oh no…." She muttered as she took off dead sprint down the corridor, as she came to a stop in the open archway, she came upon the sight of her lover pinned by his own sword to the cobblestone floor of the massive chamber. "Gaile!" She yelled out with wide eyes, The cry of her voice alerted Vridd who had been standing over Gaile, as a smile formed on his face "Hello my dear." He spoke in a chilling tone of voice that made her visibly shudder "N-Nerco..." Gaile muttered under his breath, "Get out of here… RUN DAMMIT!" He yelled as the pain overtook him and he fell unconscious. Despite all her instincts telling her to listen to him, she put on a brave face "All this time Gaile… You've always been there to save me..." She paused as she looked at the sight of her unconscious lover, her husband "This time..." She paused as she closed her eyes "This time its my turn to save you." She said as a swirling firestorm enveloped her form.

At the sight before him, Vridd merely cocked an eyebrow "Well it seems you've picked up a few things in the last five-hundred years." He said with a slow clap as the firestorm died down to reveal that Nerco had successfully triggered her Archon State "Now then… Let's get started" He said as he began to walk toward her "We have five-hundred years worth of catching up to do." He said as the sinister smile he previously wore returned.

 **To be continued in part 2**


	26. Chapter 26

**Well, here we are at The End of All Things, Gaile and Nerco's adventure will come to its conclusion here,**

 **Bloodborne : A Twist of Fate : Chapter 25 : The End of All Things Part 2 of 2**

Gaile awoke to find himself back within his mindscape, face to face with the Manifestation of his Beasthood who stood before him without his usual boastful overconfidence, what he saw before him was a broken being "The hell do you want?" Gaile said as the manifestation flinched at the scathing remark "I want to help." He paused as Gaile's eyes narrowed dangerously, "I know what you're thinking Gaile but its nothing like that." He paused as he raised his hands in surrender "If you die… Then so do I..." He paused once more, looking Gaile in the eye "I don't want to die… But I don't want to be chained down like an animal either." He said as his eyes turned serious. "At this point I could give a fuck less what you want." Gaile paused, "You have crossed me at every goddamn turn, so why in the hell should I start listening to you now?" He finished as he heard the muffled tone of Vridd's voice speaking to Nerco, slowly advancing toward her blade in hand. Looking out he saw that Nerco was holding her own in the new form she had assumed. Gaile had turned in time to see his manifested beasthood walking toward him, "Be reasonable Gaile, take a good look out there, if not for yourself, then for them. Your mate and offspring." He said as he gestured out into the void that allowed him to see what was going on. "Leave them out of this." Gaile said with a low growl, "I'm not looking to trick you," He paused as Gaile's eyes narrowed into a deadly glare, "Look if you have rules you want me to follow, fine, just don't let us both die because of your pride." He stated, "Pride!? You're the one who started this!" Gaile yelled, grasping him by the collar "Of that, I am painfully aware, that's why I suggest the set of rules, you stay in control, mostly, that way I get to come out every now and again." He stated with what might have been the first genuine smile he had ever shown to Gaile.

With a sigh Gaile relented, "First up, No raping, no brutal killings, otherwise you'll let your lust get to you. Other than that, I can allow it." Gaile said as the manifestation nodded in understanding "I can live with that." He paused, "Anything else?" He said, looking at Gaile. "Stay the hell away from my daughter." He replied jokingly, before his eyes turned serious. "If a situation arises where you're needed," He paused "Don't let it all go to your head, I'm the one in control, not you." He finished, with a firm hand held on the shoulder of his Manifested Beasthood. "Understood." The Manifestation replied, "Now… Let's get out of here," He paused, regarding Gaile with a curt nod. With a sudden gasp and intake of air, Gaile awoke and was instantly met with a soaring pain in his chest, looking up he found the his own sword had been impaled through his chest, by a seeming act of the gods the blade had missed his heart by a couple of inches, "Agh… that son of a-" He started to curse before a metallic clang drew his attention to the fight going on to his distant left. The sight that befell his eyes was something that captivated him once more "Is that… Nerco?" Gaile thought to himself as he studied the female figure that was obscured by intense heat and a vortex of flame, "Sure looks like her." Gaile heard his inner beast speak within his mind.

Nerco was doing everything in her power to fight back against her twisted creator but to her annoyance and shock he had deftly parried every attack she attempted, sometimes lazily grabbing her blade just to get under her skin "Are we having fun yet my sweet?" Vridd asked as he dashed forward, thrusting his blade at her in an attempt to run her through "because I know I am!" He said with a raised voice as he swung at her neck, the blow connected but the surprised and widened eyes visible beneath the helm she was wearing glazed over in that instant and burned away into ash and embers, with a cocked eyebrow he looked at the other body and moments later it too crumpled under its own weight into a pile of ashen soot and dying embers. "Theatricality and deception Nerco..." He paused as he slowly surveyed the area that was consumed by her swirling vortex of flame, "You hide from me thinking this firestorm is your closest ally..." He paused as he continued to slowly walk where he could when the fire didn't threaten to swallow him "But unlike you..." He paused once more, "I was born in fire" He paused as he sensed her presence was drawing closer "As for you my dear, the fire was merely given, nothing more!" He yelled as he turned on a heel and delivered a second brutal kick to Nerco's stomach breaking her focus and dispelling her Archon State. With a groan she staggered to her feet only to let out a pained gasp as Vridd sword pierced through her chest, "And this is the end for you my dear." Vridd said with a smirk "Oh worry not about your lover," He paused, "he'll soon be joining you in hell." He finished as he twisted the blade making her cry out before her face made a defiant smirk "Fooled you." She said as the clone disintegrated into ash, and before he had time to react Nerco had already dashed forward her sword glowing white, "To hell with you!" She yelled as she swung to decapitate him only for her sword to be redirected by Vridd, but he failed to anticipate just how hot her blade truly was as it sliced clean through the intricate hand guard and relieved him of his sword bearing arm.

With a cry of pain he looked at his severed arm, the flesh on both the limb and his stump cauterized, he could never again reattach the severed arm. "You impudent little bitch!" He yelled as he clutched at the cauterized stump of his arm, much to Nerco's satisfaction as she let a sly smirk slip over her features "Oh dear..." Nerco chided, "That looks painful." She said, Vridd's rage falling upon her uncaring ears. "I will flay the flesh from your very bones you filthy whore!" He hollered out as he rushed toward her with a short wedge knife in hand screaming bloody murder as he did so, only for a thick serrated blade to snake between her arm and torso and catch Vridd in his chest "That's checkmate Vridd Jainkoaren." Gaile's voice spoke from behind Nerco, with a gasp she looked over her shoulder to see her lover standing at her side once more "Gaile!" She cried as she spun on a heel to embrace him, tears streaming down her face "How many times are you going to do this tonight damn you!" She said as the tears kept flowing only for Gaile's free arm to come to rest over her back, "After tonight, I should hope never again." He said as she backed away from him noting that he still held Vridd on the jagged saber in his hand "Get off of my sword maggot." Gaile said angrily as he ripped the blade out of his chest with a terrible spray of black foetid blood.

With a pained cry and an unceremonious thud, Vridd fell on his back a large pool of black blood forming beneath him as he slowly bled out "Let's go home Nerco..." Gaile said as he began to walk toward the entrance of the chamber only for the projection of Ebrietas to appear "Thank you..." She paused with a bow, "With him gone I don't have to hide anymore." She said as she faded away. As Gaile and Nerco reached the great archway the lead out of the door the heard a sudden cry of rage as Vridd sped toward them knife in hand " **IF I'M GOING TO DIE THEN I'M TAKING THE WHORE WITH ME!** " He yelled as he came within striking distance, Gaile was slow to draw his blade and he wouldn't be fast enough to save her "Nerco move!" They heard Flora yell as she was pushed out of the way, when Nerco looked up she saw to her horror that Flora had taken the blow meant to kill her only for Vridd to look at her with narrowed eyes. "You have betrayed me just like your sister..." He paused as he tried to remove the blade only for Flora to latch ahold of his wrist "I-I… S-sserved the dream of a world you once spoke of..." She paused as she coughed op a small amount of blood "But you used my son in a prophecy of your own creation when he had nothing to do with it..." She paused again as she endured another fit of coughing, "You made these two suffer so much for your own ends, and that is beyond my forgiveness!" She said as Vridd angrily shoved the knife deeper into her chest before wrenching it out of her "Love... For these pathetic insects" He paused "How foolish..." He paused once more as he watched her fall "All that is needed for us dear Flora, is absolute... Power." He said as he looked her over once more before Gaile sudden cry of rage broke his train of thought, " **TO HELL WITH YOU!** " he cried out as he ran toward the dying great one before a sudden voice froze him in his tracks. "Vridd." Spoke an echoing female voice "Oedon?" Nerco said in a confused manner as she tried to locate her only for a long arrow to come into view out of the corner of her left eye "You've already lost this battle... however, before I end this, first take a step to the right Gaile." She said in a commanding tone as a red blur sailed past Gaile's heat missing by mere inches "Oedon you traitorous bi- grk!" He started to say before the arrow embedded itself in his forehead as his eyes glazed over he let out one final lament "Damn… You..." He slowly said as his body was enveloped in a firestorm that ate away at him, slowly devouring his flesh as Oedon's poison did its work.

"Flora!" Nerco cried as she ran toward the fallen great one, "Stupid! Why would you do that!?" Oedon said as bloody tears cascaded down her face as she stood over her dying sister "He hurt my son and my daughter." She said with a weak smile as she reached up to brush the tears out of Nerco's eyes, which only made them flow harder "Do not mourn my passing Nerco, my life was a fleeting thing but I have no regrets." She said as her chest fell still and her arm gave in to the force of gravity "Flora…?" She paused as she shook her still form "Flora!" She yelled, "Flora wake up!" she cried as the tears came once more and although Gaile didn't weep for her the tears still silently fell from his eyes "Everyone stand back." Nerco commanded as she summoned a frost glyph that carved itself into the palm of her hand, with a wince she conjured a veil of ice that enveloped Flora, "This ice will never melt, and will always remain clear as glass, the hands of time will never touch her…" Nerco paused as she tried to control her tears "Here she will lay for all of time as a monument to all the good that the Great Ones were truly capable of." She finished her prayer as the icy bloom that held her peaceful form took shape, an obelisk of crystal clear ice that ended in the blossom of a blooming rose. "This is beautiful Nerco..." Oedon paused as she looked at Nerco, crimson tears still falling from her face, "She would have said the same were it me in there..." She finished as she turned away from them "Gaile do be careful… Now that your bond with Flora has been severed you're just as mortal as Nerco is, Although you won't ever grow past your ripe young age of thirty seven..." She said as she took her leave from this world, slowly fading out as she did so "Goodbye you two… This world has nothing more for me…" She said as her presence disappeared from the world forever, "Isn't that just precious?" The both heard Vridd's sarcastic remark, making Nerco glare at him over her shoulder, "You son of a-" Nerco said angrily as she spun on her heel and began to advance on him with the intent to kill she was within five feet of him when her wrist was softly grabbed by Gaile, "Leave him… He doesn't deserve a quick death." Gaile said as he pulled her into an embrace that she returned. "As I said before, Let's go home..." He said as they walked toward the entrance of the expansive chamber Vridd roared in his fury "Come back here and finish what you started you damned cowards… **I AM A GOD! I'LL NOT BE TREATED AS AN INFERIOR BEING!** " He yelled as the passed through the grand archway of the chamber, and with a wave of her hand Nerco sealed the entrance to the Alter of Despair behind her as they continued to walk, "Puny God." Gaile muttered under his breath, causing Nerco to snort "To think that he made me." She said as they boarded the elevator, coming into the ruined chamber where the battled against Kara, they found that Lanius was waiting for them.

Upon noticing them he slowly walked toward them with his War Club in hand, "Fine work you two..." He said as he continued his slow advance, Gaile and Nerco both assumed fighting stances, they're eyes locked on his, despite that they were unseen through his helmet. "Stay your weapon Hunter, you killed a God, only the most worthy of mortals could ever dream of performing such a feat." He paused, "For that, it is my honor to call you worthy of my respect and admiration." He paused once more, "Although I truly wish to fight you, I can see that you're in no condition to do so, it would be too easy for me, although I did tell you that I am honorable towards those I deem worthy." He paused, performing the Hunter's Salutation, a gesture that both Gaile and Nerco returned. "The Choir are now under my command," He said, taking notice of their dangerously narrowed eyes, "They have been ordered to leave you alone and to offer extra protection for you both on your way home." Gaile once again performs the Salutation as a sign of respect. "I truly hope we will fight one day, Gaile, a fight worthy of being written down in history, regardless of the outcome, I would be honored to have fought you. I hope you think so too, Hunter." Gaile chuckles a little "Count on it, but it might be some time before that day comes," Gaile said, "I wouldn't want risk leaving my daughter to grow up fatherless." To return his gesture, Lanius bowed, "Of course my friend, raise her well, she will be very strong, I only pray I get to witness her power in my lifetime." He said as they walked past him, true to his word four Choir Clerics were waiting for them before falling into the Church taught bow of respect "We will be escorting you home tonight, please, come with us." The female and apparent leader said as she walked forward with a shrug they both followed and found themselves surrounded in a diamond formation of Clerics "You need not worry, like Mr. Lanius we are not without our honor." the male in the rear of the formation spoke behind them. They continued the remainder of their journey in silence.

Coming back to the ruined Clinic, they found that the Choir Clerics that he been escorting them backed away, fading into the shadows. Soon they came upon Gehrman and Maria resting next to each other in some of the chairs in the Clinic waiting room. stopping in front of maria's resting form Nerco reached out her hand slowly before Gaile rested a hand on her shoulder "A corpse should be left well alone Nerco." at the familiar words Maria stirred and looked up at them with piercing green eyes "That's my line Arkenmire." She said as her face softened into a smile and she passed the sleeping bundle of a child back to Nerco "Mommy's here little one." She said as she kissed her infant daughter on her forehead "Flora." Gaile said getting Nerco's attention "I want to name her Flora, in honor of the Great One that saved me from death." He said with a smile that Nerco returned, "I think that would be a wonderful idea, dont you? Little Flora." She said as she hugged her daughter close to her as Gaile got to see her once more "Now, lets go home..." He said as he walked toward the destroyed gates of Old Yharnam With Nerco and his Daughter in tow.

As they left, Maria and Gehrman smiled at each other before the last of their strength left them, the cold embrace of death came swiftly as Maria fell to her knees and slowly broke down into ash and embers "Farewell my keen Hunter..." Gehrman said as his vision began to blur, and his body to began to crumple into the same ash and embers as Maria, "Fear the Old Blood." He stated as his world went black.

 **And thus our adventure comes to a close. I'll see you all next summer when I start working on the sequel of this story. Bloodborne : A Godless World.**


End file.
